DELEVERAGED
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: Dark future fic. The Leverage team is no more. Two of their members are gone, one is a veggie, and the others have scattered for their own sanity. But will revenge and a new team bring them back together? P/H, N/S
1. Eliot's Decision

**A/N:** _Before you go, "No, I refuse to read paragraphs," please note: I am trying to learn how to write them in an engaging and poetic way that is enjoyable for everybody so please give it a try. On another note: this will be my next story after I finish the Perkins Job. Now, the only reason the Perkins Job is taking so long to complete is that I had a play to direct for school and I'm at the boring part of the chapter which is mainly leading up to the big, "Bang!" There's a hint for those of you patiently waiting. I promise you that I will try to get that sucker posted as quickly as possible but I won't promise you this month because I'm taking a three month course in four weeks. I'm guranteeing an update by February. For fans of The Chase, I am still writing it I am just having problems with figuring out how I'm going to get Eliot and Nate into a semi-friendly manner. That is ongoing and is supposed to take a while but my goal is to finish it before the start of Season 5 or at least have one or two chapters left. If you just want an update and cannot wait please review either of these stories and I will do my best to give you an update within the week._

**A/N II:** _I accept all kinds of reviews except profanity and I do not own Leverage. Please help learn how to write paragraphs! Thanks and enjoy._

Eliot Spencer walked through a forest of tropical trees and high growing ferns. His hair was matted down from sweat and humidity. His clothes were khaki styled and refused to go against the norm. Signs of the desert surrounding the Oasis of the Congo were slowly disappearing from the horizon as the former hitter clambered his way into his little hut of solitude.

The hut had a single room with a fire stove at one end and a hammock at the other. Books, maps, and photos were strewn throughout the place showing the habits of the man who inhabited perfectly. Eliot quietly sat down at the section of the hut that belonged to his pictures. He grabbed a cool bottle of beer from his fridge and picked up the stack.

Alec Hardison was the first photograph in the pile for tonight's showing. The hacker had been wearing a freshly pressed tux and a red bow tie with a matching handkerchief. Eliot smiled as the memory of getting the hacker into that tux fluttered across his vision. It took their grifter three days to finally cut a deal with their youngest member before he would wear that outfit for the sake of the con. Sophie had to agree to watch a whole season of Doctor Who and purchase a bow tie as the winning bargaining chip. A gulp of beer followed the bitter taste of the haunting memory.

Parker; the crazy, blonde thief of wonder was only naturally meant to follow after the hacker even in photographic form. The smiling thief was posing with her prized bunny and a glob of cotton candy that they all had agreed to take her to. She had literally refused to sit still for even a moment until everybody had agreed to do one family event that weekend. The fact that they were going to a fair was not divulged until the group of thieves met up directly in front of the address they were given. The rest of the day was spent with everybody trying to keep Parker as happy as a clam. It was the only time they ever actually had family time when it was called family time. Two gulps of beer were taken after that irregular memory.

Nathan Ford was wearing one of his awful hats in the third picture of the evening. It was for their grifter's amusement because it was the one time the mastermind had decided to actually be just a mastermind. It was also the only time everybody else had a part because the scam they were pulling was during an interesting affair. Their grifter had to almost marry the mark in order for them to pull it off and the mastermind was looking for ways to take that disgusted look she had off of her face. Apparently the mark had decided waiting until the wedding night wasn't working. There had been so many wonderful laughs that night. The rest of the bottle went down in one smooth movement as the laughing started to register to the former hitter's ears.

The last image of Sophie Devereaux in the hut gazed upon the hitter with a bright, white smile and intoxicating eyes. The thief had taken it while they were planning their last con. Nobody knew it was their last, but that didn't matter. Their thief had complained that she had absolutely no pictures of their family at work and she was determined to get them. Their mastermind had only agreed because their hacker decided to bring in a camera against his protests. Their grifter merely laughed at the mastermind's failure to say no and Eliot had kindly contributed to the playful banter of his father duties. The picture was taken on one of the last days they would ever be together. It was the only reminder that would never be destroyed and another bottle of beer was swallowed in celebration.

It was a picture of the team all together in a tiny huddle that finally sent the former hitter to the absolute edge. Parker had insisted upon a group photo simply because she wanted one. Hardison agreed immediately because he wanted one too and figured he'd give their thief her every whim. Sophie and Nate tried to explain the dangers of having a group picture but their thief refused to hear it. Eliot had only agreed because he was sick of being poked to death and it was fun to torture the oldest members of the team with their lack of team spirit. Their mastermind and grifter gave up and indulged their thief under the pretense that everybody would have one photo. It had been decided promptly after the picture was taken that only five copies would ever exist and if any member was caught by police-like forces; the image would burn to keep the others safe. A bottle and a half of beer was consumed because the others were never safe.

"Ahh!" Eliot screamed as he tossed his remaining bottle across the hut to save what was left of his mind.

The former hitter had failed in his duty and it had cost them everything! He didn't deserve to live. That was the only thought that had occurred to the hitter for the past year. He had failed his job and they had all lost because of it. It was time to settle the matter once and for all.

Eliot staggered his drunken legs towards his kitchen counter and the hidden revolver within it. He drunkenly pulled out the gun and found the special bullet beside it. The gun was loaded promptly and the barrel pointed towards the drunken man's temple in preparation.

"No!" Eliot shouted at himself in sudden realization of what he was about to do.

The drunken, broken man hobbled himself towards his picture show and held up his watch.

"Not today," Eliot promised himself with bitterness in his every tone, "I can't do it today."

Today was the anniversary of their doom. It was the day that ended their team forever and broke it far beyond any repair. Today was the day he had failed. It had been a year ago exactly when…

It was at midnight exactly when Eliot Spencer pulled the trigger.


	2. A New Day at the Office

**A/N: **_First off, I was trying to finish up the Perkins Job. Clearly, that did not happen. Second, yes, I did indeed. (Answer to questions from the last chapter.) Keep reading if you want to find out who else died, who lived, and who is in-between._

Damien Phillips entered the office building with a huge grin on his face. He had just achieved the impossible. He had finally beaten Alec Hardison and Chaos' times for breaking into and out of the Pentagon. He was going to be a legend; the only hacker to have ever succeeded in defeating the legends. This was something he needed to share with the rest of the team. A crowning achievement, until he entered the conference area.

"Where have you been?" Ashley demanded of the hacker with fire for eyes.

"Um…" Damien had the chance to say before his companion decided to squash everything.

"You idiot!" Ashley screamed at her little brother in complete hysterics, "What did you do?"

"Nothing?" Damien hopefully squeaked out before his flaming redhead of a sister decided to continue with her tongue lashing.

"Alarms have been going off all morning!" Ashley shouted at the idiot in front of her, "I have been calling every single one of your cells since I got in here at nine! You better have a good explanation for this, buster!"

"Uh…" Damien stuttered over the violence shining in the girl's deadly eyes. Sometimes it sucked having a hitter for a big sister.

"Babe, we have some… Where have you been?" Craig, the brunette thief of the group demanded the moment his hazel eyes fell on the hacker in the doorway, "Alec wants a word."

"Alec?" Damien gulped at the single word floating from his companion's lips. That was not a good sign.

"Yeah," Ashley smirked at the fear in her brother's voice, "Alec wants to speak with you the moment you come in."

"As in right this instance," Craig nodded before he stared at the computer in their hacker's hands, "Babe, why don't we watch a movie on D's computer while we're waiting for further instructions?"

"That sounds nice considering this mess has officially ruined any chances of us having a nice date away from the offices," Ashley smiled at her boyfriend's suggestion before she took her brother's computer and, with a quick punch in the youngest member's arm, carefully escorted her boyfriend to "their" terrace.

"I'm just gonna…" Damien stammered towards the others before he quickly turned around to escape while he still had the…

"Damien!" a harsh voice from the main office snarled out with distain.

Chance! The young hacker turned around and stood at attention at his employer's strict tone.

"Yes, sir?" Damien quietly answered back with nothing but pure innocence in his tone.

"Come!" the man belonging to the snarling voice demanded with a bony finger twitching towards the office door, "Now!"

"Okay," Damien squeaked out uneasily at his boss' angry tone before he swallowed the lump in his throat and made his way towards the end of his life.

Alec, "just Alec and it doesn't matter if it's my first name or my last name," wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world. He wasn't the worst either but there were times when Damien wondered what his life would have been like if he never met the man. He wondered ever more about what happened to make his boss so unhappy all the time. It was just one of the great mysteries of their mastermind. Well, that and the odd feeling of pride in everybody's stomach whenever he said, "good job, team."

Life as a thief wasn't exactly the worst thing in the world. Neither was living on the street. Living in a nice condo bought shortly after your first successful con in history was so much better. That was how Damien had been hooked into staying with Alec.

Ashley and Damien had just struck out on an easy con. They were running for their lives with fear on their faces when a van popped up in front of them. The man driving the car had ordered them to get in, being that they were two scared and highly screwed teenagers with no idea what else to do, they got in. The man dropped them off at a curb a safe distance away and handed them a business card with the strict instructions to meet at the offices no later than nine o'clock the next morning. The siblings had every intention of blowing the meeting off until they were told that food would be available. Living on the street tended to have the disheartening reality of no food available to you at all times of the day. It was the number one selling piece and the only reason the two attended the meeting.

The man who saved them from getting caught met them at the door with a humble grin and relief all over his features. He escorted them to the top floor of the building and even offered them the food they had been promised. And then he left. The two teens had been quite puzzled by this bizarre behavior of their host and were wondering what kind of trouble they put themselves into, when the unthinkable happened, the alarms went off. Ashley gave Damien the order to silence the alarm while she took care of any possible threats. The man who had rescued them came back… with a meat cleaver. Ashley just reacted and started pounding the snot out of the guy who most definitely had several forms of military training. Damien watched his sister with wide eyes before he remembered the lovely thing called alarms and began to disable them. It took two minutes for the pair to successfully disable everything and clear their way towards escape. Until…

"Bravo," a low voice called out with clapping hands following dramatically after.

"Huh?" Damien had questioned his sister while Ashley was kind enough to position herself protectively in front of her brother with a pretty deadly stance.

"Congratulations," a man with white teeth, brown eyes and black skin announced to the siblings with interest in his eyes, "You've made the team."

Alec explained everything they did right and everything they did wrong. He showed them how to become better criminals and, more importantly, better people. They were now and forever more thieves for the good guys. They stole from the rich and heartless and gave back to the ones who deserved it. Craig came along a little later when he had the stupid idea of picking the mastermind's pocket. He failed and gained a team of thieves because of it. He and Ashley started dating about a year afterwards. Now, they were three young thieves learning how to become the greatest in all of history! And now Alec, their angry old boss, was going to end it all by murdering their hacker.

Damien entered the main office rather cautiously.

"Sit down," the mastermind demanded in the voice that refused to be disobeyed.

"Yes, sir," Damien agreed as he did exactly as told as quickly as possible to escape any further abuse that was sure to come his way.

"Damien," Alec started to say until he put on his con smile and decided to change tactics, "D-man, is there… anything you want to tell me?"

Damien gulped at the kind façade of his boss. That was a bad sign, a very bad sign. He was going to die. He was sure of it now. The mastermind's stringy build may have seemed unthreatening from a distance, but when you were sitting directly in front of him with only a matter of one step between you, the truth came out. Alec's stringy build was only stringy from afar. Up close and personal, anybody could see the guns he had to offer. His muscles showed signs of a boxer taught how to do several other much deadlier things with his hands. His freshly cut, Italian suits did nothing to disguise the power his figure contained but the team knew from experience that even that tiny detail was something their mastermind could easily hide when need be. The dude was highly intimidating and demanded respect from everybody. He was one of the best grifters in the business at current and he could do everybody else's job as well as his own. Nobody on the team understood why he needed them, but they were his team and he refused to call them anything but.

So the hacker decided to give his boss the only answer he could, "No?"

"No?" Alec nodded at the honest answer in interest, "That sounded like a question, D-man, are you sure you don't want to rephrase that and/or change it?"

"No," Damien sighed at the mastermind's words with trembling hands, "I'm good."

"You're good?" Alec shrugged at the simple answer his hacker had given him, "You're good. That's great! I'm glad you're good because… I wouldn't exactly call hacking into the Pentagon good, but I'm glad you do."

"Uh…" Damien huffed out with realization dawning on him a little too late in the game, "It depends on your definition of the situation."

"Well I don't know about your definition," Alec remarked in kind, "but I would call hacking into Pentagon mainframe just to beat the times of other hackers as a very bad reason to hack into the pentagon, wouldn't you?"

"Yes?" Damien hissed at the horridness that was about to come his way.

"Yes," Alec agreed with the young hacker's assessment, "That would be bad. Very bad, in fact, that is so bad I would even call it highly illegally and deviant!"

"What kind of punishment are we talking here?" Damien demanded in defeat as he decided conceding would be the safest outcome.

"Oh there is going to be a punishment," Alec laughed with angry eyes aglow, "Don't you even fret about that."

"How long?" Damien sighed at the awful news.

"Two solid weeks of dishes after every meal," Alec listed off with fingers flying out on demand, "A whole month's worth of torrenting all of my favorite shows that you will be programming directly into my computer, you will be going up against the Steranko until you can successfully out-hack it, everybody's laundry and dry cleaning is your responsibility for the next months as well I hope you enjoy that because I have some rather rare ink stains that are just dying to be taken out, and you are also going to have to do all of your hacking with a nineteen eighties IBM classic!"

"Ugh," Damien crinkled his nose in disgust at the harsh punishment.

"Is there a problem?" Alec demanded of the hacker with death shining in his eyes.

"No sir," Damien shook his head to salvage any possible redeeming that might occur.

"Good," Alec nodded at the young hacker's defensive position, "Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir," Damien saluted his boss for a reason he could not possibly fathom before he scurried away towards the salvation of his office before the punishment went underway.

"Hey D-man!" Alec called out to the hacker just as he was almost to the threshold.

"Yes, sir?" Damien questioned his boss with an accidental look of pure fear on his face.

"Nice job with the time," Alec mumbled out with a soft smile of amusement that was highly rare throughout their history, "You've really come a long way as a hacker. I'm glad I chose you to be on my team!"

"Thank you sir," Damien beamed at the comment with helpless joy spreading throughout his entire body.

"Just next time," Alec warned as his kind face of rarity molded back into his usual scowl, "please take the rest of us into consideration before you do something as stupid as endangering our team."

"Yeah," Damien nodded with guilt completely smoking the ray of sunshine that had once graced upon his emotions, "I understand."

"We're a team, D-man," Alec explained sharply, "If we don't have each other's backs, what do we have?"

"I'm sorry sir," Damien responded with a straightening of his spine at the reality of his carelessness, "It won't happen again, I swear!"

"Don't apologize to me," Alec commanded with something gentle hitching in his voice, "Apologize to our team!"

The young hacker nodded in understanding as he bowed his way out of the mastermind's office. He had been stupid in thinking he could chase his dream without informing the team of his plans. Not only did he put himself in jeopardy, but also his team. Next time, he was going to be smarter before he acted on impulses so juvenile. Damien Phillips just thanked his lucky stars his actions didn't have any dire consequences other than a high alert lockdown in their facility.


	3. Office Meetings

**A/N: **_Okay, 1 fic finished, two more to go. I'm going to try to get this one done because The Chase had originally been something that I was going to do over the course of the rest of the Leverage series (However long that may be) but that was a stupid posting idea so my new goal is to post 2 chapters this weekend. I'm giving myself an easy goal because I decided to take classes this semester where only one of them does not involve an extensive reading list. Therefore, we shall see. Hopefully Eliot feels like cooperating with me. Until then, I will give you this chapter to munch on._

Alec watched the young hacker disappear towards the other offices before he dared to allow the proud smirk to form on his lips. It was hard to believe that he used to be anything like that when he was the kid's age. Sure he was less principled and had a far less than honest record at the time, but he had the same rebellious confidence and drive. It was something needed in order to be successful in the job. It was one of the first things that made Alec so enamored with the boy. It was also one of the major reasons he was so strict.

Confident and cocky liked to stand side by side far too often for any comfort. The line between them needed to be defined and thickened while it could be or bad things would happen. If nothing else, Alec's past had taught him that first hand. Being on top of the world had a gigantic consequence; everybody wanted to knock you down. That's why there were so many rules.

Rules kept you on a certain path, a path that needed to be learned and memorized perfectly before they were destroyed. It had taken Alec no time at all to build his magnificent empire. He earned the money years ago and he had the means to get more if need be. Connections he had in spades simply by dropping a name here or a name there, occasionally proof of a crime anywhere when the time called for it. Power was easy to obtain, but keeping it? Keeping the power was a very difficult lesson to learn and even harder to achieve. As the mastermind, Alec had to be strict. It was for his team's safety as well as his own. One foot out of line, and everything would be lost… again.

The mastermind gently took his seat and started toying with the mouse by his computer. One little click and he could see the world at his fingertips, bringing justice to those who needed it the way it used to be. It was a juicy idea. It was a fantastic idea. Alec started to move the mouse a little more and revel in the old feeling it was bringing back to him.

"No!" Alec informed himself as he yanked his hand off of the mouse and pushed away from the simple computer. _Not again_, the man thought bitterly as memories of the past started to flutter across his vision. He wasn't that kind of man anymore. Temptation had already taken too much from him. He would not allow those same mistakes to affect his young team. They were his priority. They were his team, his new family. He needed to focus on providing for them. He couldn't afford to lose himself in the past. That life was over. He was the man with the plan now. He needed to stay in the present. Alec reached into his suit pocket and dialed a number he had memorized by more than just heart.

"Hey, Wesley," Alec sighed into the phone with weariness in his every pore, "I was wondering if you could inform my guest that I will not be able to meet today and would very much like to reschedule for an early brunch tomorrow."

"At what time sir?" Wesley questioned from the other end of the line.

"Nine o'clock if at all possible," Alec informed his butler with a careful sigh, "if she wishes for a different time just text me it at this number. Please, tell her how sorry I am for this unexpected dent in our plans and that I have to keep my team in lockdown until the threat is over."

"Is there anything else you would like me to inform her of, sir?" Wesley demanded with an edge of fear scratching at the surface.

"No, Wesley," Alec smiled at his butler's worried tone, "I'm not in any danger. Just send her my apologies and let her know that I understand if she wants to cancel altogether."

"She says canceling is not an option, sir," Wesley informed his boss with an air of frustration as the soft echoes of a female voice were whispered towards him. "She is listening in."

"I'll explain everything at brunch," Alec chuckled into the phone, "bye now."

"She says good night, sir," Wesley explained delicately, "and that you are getting more and more like him every day. I wish you luck, sir." And the phone clicked off.

Ashley and Craig were curled up on the couch watching a barbarously old black and white movie. They were even cuddling. Their hands were laced together tightly and contented smiles were firmly stuck on their happy faces.

"I'm sorry," Damien coughed out with his head firmly cast to the floor out of fear of what he might see.

"Jeeze!" Craig crowed out in shock of the hacker's presence while his girlfriend seemed completely oblivious to her brother's admission.

"Next time think before you act," Ashley called back without even turning her head to face the hacker hanging guiltily by the door. "Or I'm going to punch you until you're blue."

"Okay," Damien nodded to the floor as he waited for the thief to make his statement.

"I forgive you too," Craig stammered in complete shock of his girlfriend's impenetrable movie watching force field.

"Thanks," Damien smiled to the floor before he disappeared behind the glass door of their office space without another word.

"My dry-cleaning's hanging by the main door!" Ashley shouted towards the hacker without moving away from the captivating screen.

"It's so sexy when you do that," Craig decided with a wide grin at the way she was so focused on the entertainment before her.

"Well, I did grow up with the little buttmunch," Ashley shrugged her shoulders at the compliment. "I guess that just means I've grown immune to it."

"All I have to do is teach him how to lift wallets while in transit and he'd be a remarkable thief," Craig sighed with an airy smile.

"Yeah," Ashley agreed with a few giggles, "then you could retire and stay home with the kids while I'm out working."

"I'm not going to stay home with the kids, Ash," Craig rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's thoughts. "I don't want to retire. I want to steal until I'm dead… of natural causes of course."

"Of course," Ashley smirked knowingly at the context of that one sentence. "But I expect to be allowed on your team when you lead your own crew one day."

"I'm not going to be a mastermind," Craig hissed in disgust. "Mastermind's are nothing more than cynical narcissists with big egos and intolerable needs to be mean and cranky all the time."

"Alec's not a narcissist," Ashley rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's statement. "And all narcissists have big egos; that's why they're called narcissists."

"Alec's still mean," Craig pointed out immediately. "Plus, he's broken. I don't want to be broken. Broken gets you killed. I refuse to be so corrupted."

"Alec says that with a little more training you'd be better than Marcus Starke," Ashley commented with hope hinting at her voice. The redhead turned away from the computer monitor to observe her boyfriend staring out the window in careful thought. "He even says that you could be better than Nathan Ford even."

"I don't want to be Nathan Ford!" Craig decided in a very loud and very venomous voice. "Don't even talk about Nathan Ford to me, Ash! He's the worst of them all!"

"He helped people," Ashley whimpered at the man's odd reaction. "Before and after his son died. Obviously he wasn't that bad."

"Do you remember how that story ends?" Craig huffed back as he stared intensely into her eyes.

"I don't know how that story ends," Ashley commented with a touch of fear to her voice now. "Every time I ask Alec for the story he throws me out or dodges the question altogether."

"Do you want to know?" Craig questioned with calm sadness appearing on his face.

"Of course," Ashley nodded along immediately. She bit onto her bottom lip absent-mindedly, which was her sign of showing interest.

"Well…" Craig began the story.

"Meeting in the conference room," Alec ordered without even bothering to knock as he barged into their office with no consideration for privacy. "Now!" He added when the hitter and thief made no move as soon as he spoke.

"Coming," they both chattered in unison. Alec was in a bad mood which meant his orders were not to be ignored. When he personally delivered the news that they were going to have a meeting, you dropped everything and went. You were not to be late to those meetings. He was moody like that.

Ashley and Craig rushed into the conference room and sat at their assigned seats without delay. Damien was already in his spot when they arrived. Apparently their hacker was looking to get back on their boss' good graces. Everybody knew it would take more than that.

"Okay," Alec glared darkly towards the youngest team member before continuing his briefing. "Since Damien decided he was going to be a big bad hacker today, you are all going to be punished."

"What?" Ashley involuntarily moaned at the sourness.

"We didn't do anything," Craig crinkled his nose in distaste.

"This is to show every single one of you what it's like to be on a team," Alec stressed completely ignoring their disgruntled faces. "If one of you screws up, you all screw up. If one of you gets hurt, you all get hurt. If one of you does something stupid, you all do something stupid!"

Alec began pacing around the room during his speech and making careful eye contact with each member. Craig and Ashley glared at Damien. Damien just took the punishment with wide eyes at the amount of trouble he was in.

"Therefore," Alec droned on when he came back to the center. "When one of you gets punished, you all get punished. Freelancing is very dangerous. Not only can you get yourself killed, but you put every single member of your team at jeopardy too! Every time you step out of that office door, you are still a member of this team. So, you must act like a team."

"Some of us more than others," Ashley growled while attempting to kill her brother with just a look.

"No!" Alec interfered with the glare immediately. "We are all responsible for each other. That's the point of your homework."

"Homework?" Damien stuttered at that last bit. "I quit school so I wouldn't have to do that!"

"Well you decided to pick theft as your occupation," Alec retorted without mercy. "There's always homework when you're a thief."

"This sucks," Damien huffed while daggers were being glared into his head from the other two members.

"You will be working on your recon this weekend lady and gentlemen," Alec replied sharply with that cocky grin of evil firmly in place. "Today you will research your target online since you're stuck indoors anyway. Tomorrow you will be practicing the field portion of said recon. I expect detailed notes of both portions on my desk as soon as each one is complete. Dismissed."

Alec left the room with a bunch of "This is so unfair"s, a few "seriously"s and even more "This is your fault Damien"s. Today was looking up.


	4. Brunch Recon

**A/N: **_Holy *insert large string of words unsuitable for most human ears here, please* I killed Eliot! Ahh! What was I thinking? Oddly enough I'm even more surprised for the other person I killed. Well, not surprised so much as sad that I did that to them. And this still has a happy ending despite their deaths? Wow, I'm nuts! I feel worse for killing… I don't even have the heart to tell you just yet. Just keep reading and eventually you'll figure it out. _

The next day the little team of thieves decided to practice their recon… on their mastermind. The three carefully followed their boss to an expensive restaurant out by the beach. Ashley, Damien, and Craig were all highly surprised to see their mastermind meeting a woman with long, blonde hair.

"Damien, what's going on?" Ashley demanded of her brother angrily, "Why can't we see anything?"

"Because I'm adjusting the audio," Damien retorted to his sister with a roll of his eyes, "I don't know about you, but I don't want to read lips while we're snooping."

"Shut up!" Craig ordered the bickering siblings angrily, "I'm trying to read what they're saying!"

"Hey Maggie," Alec smiled as he greeted his old friend with a hug, "I'm glad you could make it."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that considering you rescheduled on me twice already," Maggie retorted back with amusement in her eyes.

"And I'm sorry about that," Alec grimaced at the reminder, "One of my kids decided he was going to be a big bad hacker at the absolute worst time!"

"And the time before?" Maggie countered cunningly at the man's simple reply.

"I… um… uh," Alec stumbled over his words as guilt filled his every sense at the sad truth of it all. "I sort of had a… um… meeting."

"You mean you just got back from a job?" Maggie growled at the man in irritation.

"Maggie, don't be like that," Alec begged of the blonde as he did a quick check of the surrounding areas for any sign of danger.

"I can't believe this!" Maggie huffed angrily, "Actually, I can. You've been pulling cons back to back for nearly three months now!"

"Maggie, I know," Alec waved off the guilt as he tried to calm his guest down. "Believe me I know! Those were just very special circumstances, but I'm on a break now and promise I won't be taking any more jobs for the next two weeks at the very least."

"At the very least?" Maggie scoffed at the mastermind's answer, "You should take off the month and lay low! It's not healthy putting yourself and your team at risk like that!"

"You're right!" Alec nodded at the much deserved tongue lashing, "You are completely right! I need to stop acting like a drill team captain and start acting like a worthy leader, I understand. I'm sorry for having to reschedule on you for the second time and I appreciate that you're looking out for me, I do. I really do!"

"Yeah, but?" Maggie rolled her eyes playfully at the familiar words being tossed at her so nicely.

"But they're my team and I have to keep them prepared for anything and everything," Alec reported with a sad smile crawling upon his lips. "They need me to push them to be everything they can be and beyond that. They need to learn how to stay on their toes just as much as they need to learn how to take a break when they need it. I promise you that they aren't going to be doing anything except being lazy teenagers for the next two weeks. Longer, if I can help it."

"You swear?" Maggie raised a brow at the mastermind's unusual answer.

"Cross my heart and everything," Alec promised with a white grin to help seal the deal.

"You're just like him," Maggie shook her head at the man before her. "You know that?"

"What?" Alec titled his head at the taken aback comment sent his way.

"There's so much of him in you," Maggie observed with sadness in her eyes, "if I didn't know any better…"

"He…" Alec began quietly at the comment, "Thank you. I don't know if that's a compliment or a criticism but thank you anyway."

"Well it's not a criticism," Maggie laughed at the mastermind's reply, "not yet anyway. Keep going the way you are and it will be."

"Yes mam," Alec saluted with a sad smile at the careful warning.

The two had a comfortable moment of silence where they allowed the past a chance to wash upon them.

"I see her more," Maggie remarked bitterly after a tiny moment of hesitation, "Especially when you're at work."

"Really?" Alec demanded with hope glistening in his eyes.

"Oh yes," Maggie nodded with a smile at the way he beamed at the news, "She definitely did a great job in shaping you."

"My Nana used to tell me that nobody would ever be able to shape you like a mama bear raising her babies," Alec smiled at the conversation's turn. "It took her years before she would even think about admitting that the rule also applied to all of the women in my life."

"Some more than others," Maggie agreed with a gentle nod.

"I remember when she died," Alec sputtered towards his confidant with a smile still on his face, "my Nana… Well, I thought my world was going to end without Nana there whispering in my ear."

"But she helped you through it?" Maggie pressed the way she had been taught worked best.

"They all did," Alec nodded with shame and pain starting to settle his features, "She just helped me see what was right in front of my eyes."

"Have you…" Maggie paused as she visibly weighed whether or not her next question should be asked, "Have you talked to the oth… her at all since the incident?"

"I've kept tabs on her, yes," Alec answered his friend honestly without a moment of hesitation. "I've had Wesley send her a basket of flowers on more than one occasion."

"But have you actually talked to her?" Maggie demanded of the mastermind with a frustrated sigh, "Have you actually physically given her access to hearing your voice and knowing that you're fine?"

"She doesn't want to talk to me, Maggie," Alec shook his head at the thought, "not after everything I've done."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Maggie hissed at the man with sympathy shimmering in her eyes, "It wasn't your fault…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Alec shook off the conversation just as the waiter came by to deliver their meals, "let's eat before the food gets cold."

"And there he is again," Maggie bit back with a cold glare as she joined the mastermind in eating.

The pair continued to eat in silence while the three young thieves watched from their perch in confusion.

"How are we not getting this?" Ashley demanded of her brother angrily, "You said that the button cam would work?"

"It does," Damien huffed out as he kept typing away, "It is! Look, it's giving out a signal! He must have figured out how to jam it is all!"

"Or he found it and left it in his car," Craig shrugged in response.

"What is he even doing with her?" Ashley sighed in frustration, "I mean look at her! She's obviously somebody he really cares about, but she's got grey hair! She's too old to be his girlfriend if only for that reason alone!"

"Maybe he has a thing for cougars," Damien retorted in amusement at his sister's need for drama, "Besides she can't be that old if she looks like a fox!"

"I'd say she's a mentor," Craig stated his opinion for the others to observe. "Look at the way he listens to her. You don't listen to anybody like that unless they taught you something invaluable on countless occasions. Plus, she's gazing at him as if she were looking at her favorite nephew or son."

"Then what's with the tension?" Ashley demanded as she nodded her head at her boyfriend's accurate and plausible explanations.

"Maybe it's about his big mysterious past," Damien chirped in with his conspiracy theorist brain on high alert, "Maybe she's in on the big secret."

"Or maybe you've watched one too many crime dramas again," Ashley chuckled at her brother's thoughts.

"Or he's actually onto something of value," Craig sighed as he read the tension and speculated accordingly, "Look at the way she keeps monitoring him with a worried brow. She's seeing somebody else in him and it's making her think about what topic to approach next."

"You think that maybe he's the son of her ex-husband and that could be their relationship?" Damien speculated with a sarcastic smirk.

"It looks like she's seen somebody else go through the same things and they hit the bottom pretty hard," Ashley observed as she noted the signs, "Look at the way she keeps changing the subject. She recognizes somebody else in him."

"That actually sounds right on," Craig glanced at his girlfriend in surprise, "Nice job, babe."

"I'm learning," Ashley smiled at her boyfriend's fabulous compliment.

"So," Damien interrupted the moment with a playful grin, "I was right about the past thing, right? I get the credit for figuring it out, right?"

"Shh," Craig ordered as he noticed the subtle movement in the blonde woman's posture, "They're about to start talking again."

"Are you seeing anybody?" Maggie questioned as a way to start up a new conversation.

"Maggie?" Alec rolled his eyes at the woman's simple comment.

"What?" Maggie acted confused by her comment's offense, "It's a simple question."

"You know I haven't been seeing anybody!" Alec growled at the woman angrily, "I would never do that to… never mind!"

"You should talk to her," Maggie suggested smoothly.

"Maggie…" Alec warned with danger in his eyes.

"I'm not saying that you should propose to her or anything drastic," Maggie sputtered as if she couldn't see the daggers being tossed her way, "I'm just saying you two should catch up over coffee."

"I don't want to talk about it," Alec slammed his fist down in agitation. "I just want to forget… everything."

"Forgetting the past isn't going to work, Alec," Maggie retorted sadly, "Otherwise you'd never learn from it."

"I can't do this," Alec spit out as he rose from his chair and started to leave.

"She asks about you," Maggie gasped out before she could stop herself.

"You've seen her?" Alec whipped his head around in complete surprise of the new curveball.

"Don't even pretend you didn't know," Maggie ordered sharply with a raised eyebrow in challenge of the play.

"What does she say?" Alec demanded as he sat back down quite eagerly.

"You expect me to tell you after that?" Maggie demanded back with the upper hand.

"I'm sorry, Maggie," Alec sighed at his rude behavior, "I'm still working on controlling my emotions for any given situation. I'm not a grifter. You know that!"

"I remember that she taught you to behave better than that," Maggie raised her eyebrows higher in resignation of the old habit.

"I'm sorry," Alec repeated with a bowed head, "It won't happen again, I promise. Please… what did she say?"

"She wants you to come visit instead of sending your butler over with flowers all the time," Maggie accepted the apology with careless ease. "She misses you just as much as you miss her."

"I can't go back, Maggie," Alec shook his head at the very idea of it, "Not just yet anyway."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Maggie remarked sadly, "You shouldn't punish yourself for that kind of a mistake. Heck, I thought the same thing you did until…"

"Don't," Alec begged with the most helpless eyes she had ever seen.

"It was a lovely funeral," Maggie commented woodenly, "Gorgeous really. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."

"He would have been proud," Alec agreed bitterly, "It's just a shame that… that it had to be that way."

"That was his own guilt he had to deal with," Maggie replied smoothly to stop the thoughts in their greedy tracks, "He chose to end it that way. It's not your fault."

"I just feel like I could have done something," Alec twisted his hands in irritation, "Maybe if I paid more attention to him instead of concentrating on..."

"Hardison!" Maggie snapped in fear of the next string of babble, "Eliot made his choice. Now, we have to live with it. Believe me, there was nothing you could have done to save any of them."

"But I could have noticed the signs," Alec muttered completely helpless at the memory of his best friend, "I could have asked…"

"It wasn't your fault!" Maggie shook her head at the ex-hacker's worries, "Just like what happened to Nate wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done for either of them."

"Yeah," Alec nodded at the civilian woman's comments, "Yeah, you're right. You're totally right! I didn't have any control over the situation until it was already too late. It wasn't my fault!"

"It wasn't," Maggie encouraged her ex-husband's hacker with a gentle touch to the arm, "You can't control the world. That was always the one lesson he refused to teach you."

"And now it's my job to teach it to my kids," Alec agreed as he gently sniffled back his manly allergens and took comfort in his companion's words.

"Speaking of your kids," Maggie smiled at the needed change of subject matter, "Did you know that they have been spying on you ever since you arrived here?"

"Oh, have they?" Alec smiled at the change in topic as he pulled out a pen and made a show of pulling out his tie, "I had absolutely no idea they were even watching."

"Uh-oh!" Craig cringed as he read the words pouring from his boss' lips.

"Uh-oh?" Damien questioned with wide eyes.

"That's never a good sign," Ashley gasped as she shared a worried look with her brother.

Just then Alec clicked his pen and the monitor started to get a good visual of the person in front of him and their mastermind.

"Hello lady and gentlemen," Alec smiled into the camera ever so viciously, "Are we enjoying the show?"

"I told you it worked," Damien commented in lieu of what else to say.

"Why don't ya'll come on over here to catch up on all the Intel that you missed?" Alec proposed with an obvious order to his voice that knew it would not be ignored.

"Well," Craig sighed as he stared at his boss waving them over and gaining attention, "We're screwed."

"With a capital Q," Damien nodded as the thief and hitter shared a look of confusion at the boy's strange comment.

"Any time now people," Alec ordered from his spot at the table as he kept waving his team to come forward.

"Alec, be nice," Maggie giggled into her coffee cup as she watched the three teens walk across the street with amusement at their frightened faces.

"Hey gang," Alec smiled when his teammates finally were within earshot of all the patrons at the restaurant. "Have a seat. Come on, join us. Don't be shy now, come along!"

"Oh you're awful," Maggie cackled into her cup at the pure look of humiliation on the teens' faces.

"Guys," Alec greeted them with a flashy smile before he kindly held out his hand to introduce his brunch companion, "meet my very good friend Dr. Collins."

"Please, call me Maggie," Maggie ordered as she held out her hand and began to play along. "Dr. Collins is when I'm working."

"Hello… Maggie," Craig took the offered hand and performed a gentle bow as he introduced himself, "My name is Craig Hoffer and allow me to introduce my girlfriend Ashley Phillips…"

"And I'm Damien," Damien offered as he kindly pushed the two aside and offered up his hand with a charming smile, "I'm the brother."

"Of Craig?" Maggie questioned of the boy as she tried not to laugh too much at the obvious intention of flattery to get out of trouble.

"No, the ugly one," Damien proudly explained with a vigorous handshake before he realized just how bad that was to say.

"Open mouth insert foot," Alec commented as the redhead kindly bashed her brother's shoulder for such a disgraceful comment before she put on the charm and offered up her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Collins," Ashley stated with a wide smile that looked like it hurt, "Maggie, excuse me. Alec has told us… absolutely nothing about you."

"Like why you're here," Damien added in helpfully when his sister was safely seated.

"Or what you're up to," Craig completed with a nice shrug of the shoulders.

"Wow," Maggie smirked at the way the three were acting, "I see you inherited his masterminding power of instant loyalty too. I am impressed."

"Well, I do my best," Alec grinned at the compliment with a quick adjustment of his tie.

"Oh my god he's smiling!" Damien gasped at the odd feature, "And it's real!"

"Seriously, dude?" Craig stared at the young hacker in complete disbelief.

"Please ignore him," Ashley smiled impossibly wider in distraction as she smacked her brother on the thigh for that one, "We haven't finished training him yet."

"As you can see their manners are still a work in progress," Alec commented as that happy smile continued to conform to his face.

"But you're absolutely right they are just riddled with potential," Maggie squealed as she observed each one with a careful eye, "How did you do it?"

"Practice," Alec replied with a comedic flare the teens had never seen before.

"I'm not sure…" Craig began to speak as he noticed something odd with the way they were talking.

"Let me guess?" Maggie begged of the mastermind in interruption before another word could be spoken to even guess who this weird woman could be.

"By all means," Alec offered with a wave of his hand and a happy grin as the three were pinned under his friend's microscopic inspection.

"Craig is skinny but muscular so he has to be the thief." Maggie observed with a well-trained air, "Ashley may be a girl but the scars on her fingers and the way she bounces on her feet even while sitting just scream hitter. And Damien over here, well, he just says whatever's on his mind like somebody else I used to know, but the way he's coddling that computer is an obvious sign that he is indeed the hacker of your bunch."

"I do not coddle my computer!" Damien complained as he pulled his computer up closer to his chest only to prove the blonde woman's point even further.

"Nicely done, I am impressed," Alec golf-clapped the woman's amazing skill with absolute sincerity in his every step.

"How did she…?" Ashley gasped in confusion.

"She's a thief," Craig nodded in acceptance.

"No, I verify art for a living," Maggie replied with a simple shrug of false disappointment, "So hitter, hacker, thief, mastermind… hey, you're missing a grifter!"

"Very funny, Maggie," Alec glared at the woman with spiteful eyes.

"We don't need a grifter," Damien retorted with a disgruntled huff, "We're cool all on our own."

"We can take care of business," Ashley huffed with a show of confidence.

"We make do," Craig shrugged in pure honesty at the comment.

"You know," Maggie lined the mastermind with a simple look, "I know this grifter…"

"No, grifters," Alec retorted in his usual, icy tone, "End of discussion."

"He's very touchy about grifters," Damien commented simply.

"They can't be trusted because they lie all the time," Ashley shrugged her shoulders in complete apathy over the situation, "I wonder why."

"It wouldn't hurt to have one…" Craig mumbled guiltily as he crumbled under the vicious glare of his employer.

"No grifters!" Alec informed the team with a powerful glare and sneer combination.

"They don't know why," Maggie observed with a look of pure shock on her face, "do they?"

"It's nothing they need to know," Alec shrugged in indifference at the confused looks his teammates were giving him.

"What do you mean?" Ashley demanded with hurt on her face, "What don't we know?"

"It's not my place to say," Maggie pointed out with fearful eyes turned on the mastermind in front of her.

"Well, Maggie, it's getting late," Alec stated without a look at his nonexistent watch, "We should probably get you back to the house if we want to get you on that plane in time."

"Wait, who is she if she's not one of us?" Craig demanded defensively.

"She is one of us," Alec stared at his thief impassively as always.

"But she's a civilian," Damien pointed out in confusion, "And what is she to you anyway? What's your relationship to each other?"

"She's my friend," Alec replied with just a touch of gruffness, "That's our relationship."

"Yep," Maggie smiled despite the frosty tension, "You're exactly like my ex."

"Ha!" Damien cheered to the surprise of everybody, "I totally called it! She's his dad's ex-wife! Score one for the D-man!"

"Now, see what you did," Alec pointed towards the young hacker in complete disbelief, "You gave the boy false confidence. Now I have to stop him from going after the Pentagon again!"

"I'm not correcting the statement, Alec," Maggie shook her head as the three thieves stared at the retreating couple unsure of what to do, "Are you guys coming or not?"

"You mean…" Damien stared at the woman as if she had three heads, "To his house?"

"We've never been to his house before," Ashley explained for her brother with another one of her frightening smiles.

"We were never invited," Craig shrugged in explanation.

"Seriously?" Maggie demanded of the mastermind in complete shock.

"Fine," Alec rolled his eyes at the woman's hint, "Come on guys! As the lady says, you coming or what?"

The three thieves grinned with white teeth and red gums bared in bliss. They nodded their heads yes and hurried towards the car in eager anticipation of their newest exploits. The art expert just laughed at the kids' excitement while the mastermind glared.

"Sophie was a bad influence on you," Alec commented as he kindly opened the door for her.

"Thanks," Maggie smiled brightly as she helped herself into the vehicle.

"Who's Sophie?" Damien demanded the moment the mastermind had entered the car.

Alec didn't even dignify that with a response as he glared at his friend some more before pulling out of the parking lot. The car raced off towards the mastermind's splendid mansion with three excited thieves humming in the back seat, a very grumpy and annoyed mastermind in the driver's seat, and a very amused and worried art verification expert in the passenger's seat.


	5. Mansion Blues

**A/N: **_And here we go!_

"Alright," Alec remarked as he unlocked his mansion door and opened it for his guests. "Welcome to la casa de moi!"

The crew entered the mansion with hesitant steps of awe and wonder as they stared at the foyer before them. There was a staircase located directly in front of the door with marble steps surrounded with brass railings and exotic plants of various shapes and sizes.

"This used to be the administration building of the local college before their Dean was caught using it as a money laundering ring," Alec explained with a proud grin. "I bought after the school board decided it would be best to just get rid of it and build a new one with their generous donation of five million dollars for renovations. It was some of my best work."

"You stole this?" Damien stared at the high-arched ceilings and wood flooring in complete surprise.

"Nice!" Craig gave his highest ranking form of approval as he noticed the doorways towards the kitchen and a game room.

"Where do you eat?" Ashley demanded after a quick inspection of the entrance closet with its wide array of coat hooks and shoe racks.

"I usually eat in my office upstairs," Alec answered honestly as he politely retrieved Maggie's purse and summer jacket. "I entertain guests in the parlor right next to the kitchen."

"It's really lovely," Maggie commented with a warm smile at the unexpected host.

"You guys are free to stay for dinner of course," Alec replied when a man in a handsome suit and house shoes appeared in front of everybody. The man had a balding head and a thick mustache. His body was very muscular despite his position and Ashley and Damien couldn't help but stare at the familiar man.

"Wesley!" Damien cheered with a quick clap on the man's shoulder, "How have you been?'

"Very well, Damien," Wesley smiled at the hacker with fondness. "I see you and Ashley have finally decided to explore Master Alec's estate."

"He didn't have a choice," Craig stated with a proud smirk. "Maggie invited us."

"Ahh," Wesley nodded with a wink towards the blonde in admiration. "In that case I'm going to prepare some snacks. Are they staying for dinner as well?"

"I have decided yet, Wes," Alec shrugged in response. "We'll see how the day goes."

"Alright," Wesley nodded at his master's command, "I'll just show them around while you and Maggie have your tea."

"Sounds like a plan," Maggie smiled at the butler's humoring effort. She loved the man for the way he took great care of her favorite hacker turned mastermind.

"Really?" Ashley stared at the mastermind with wide hopeful eyes.

"Really," Alec laughed at the three in surprise of the delight shining on the brinks of their emotions.

"Yes!" Damien cheered as Wesley kindly began their tour.

"I'll make some tea," Alec proposed when the kids were well out of the way.

"Into the kitchen we go," Maggie answered back as they walked their way into the kitchen without even bothering to stop.

They stood in silence while Alec made all of the proper preparations for tea. Maggie kindly observed without saying anything about the current situation. The two waited for the tea to finish before they even though of having a discussion. In fact, it was while Alec was carefully distributing the tea and creating the perfect measures to each of their tastes that Maggie decided it was time for talking.

"They seemed awfully excited to tour your home," Maggie explained while she stirred two sugars into her tea. "I wonder why it took you so long to show it to them."

"You know kids. They just take over everything," Alec complained to the blonde in the safety of his kitchen. "No matter what I do, they just won't leave!"

"Sounds like somebody else I know," Maggie smirked knowingly at the mastermind's words.

"Yes," Alec rolled his eyes playfully at his friend's words. "I know I'm exactly like him! Disgruntled man who can't stand to have people invading his life twenty-four seven but I secretly enjoy their company! Yes, I am aware!"

"Well," Maggie countered playfully, "As long as you're aware. You forgot to mention that you're a moody bastard though."

"But I'm not a drunk moody bastard," Alec pointed out with another smile.

"No, that was Eliot," Maggie laughed at the statement before the rest of her words penetrated her mind. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, that's fine," Alec shook his head at the woman's worried gaze. "I've come to terms with that little secret. That one was the easiest to take."

"You know he wouldn't have…" Maggie placed her hand delicately on top of the mastermind's, "if…"

"I know," Alec nodded at the comment. "You've got an early flight in the morning. We should probably work on getting you all packed up."

"You could come with me," Maggie proposed desperately. "She would love to see you again."

"I can't," Alec replied sadly. "I've got the team now."

"You can't stay in the past forever, Alec," Maggie stressed with worry. "It's going to come back. You need to move on. You need her."

"Not yet," Alec shook his head at the idea. "I can't until I know we're ready."

"Alec…" Maggie began to argue before the mastermind's hand flew up into the air.

"I'll tell Wesley to start working on an extravagant dinner for everybody," Alec explained with a sad smile. "He's going to want to know about the extra mouths."

"Are you going to have them stay the night?" Maggie stared at her friend with worry.

"I guess," Alec shrugged in response, "I can't exactly kick them out now, can I?"

"I'll go pack," Maggie commented after a moment of careful thought. "You should really consider my offer. It would do you some good to take time off."

"Maggie!" Alec warned the art expert with two very raised eyebrows.

"Just saying," Maggie sing-songed on her way up the stairs.

"Wesley," Alec called for the butler immediately.

"Yes sir," Wesley appeared like clockwork as always.

"We'll be having Chicken Marsal tonight," Alec ordered with a calm façade, "and please prepare enough for three extra mouths."

"Will do, sir," Wesley bent his head and started working on the order. Alec knew there was some shopping to do.

"And they're free to stay the night if they wish," Alec sighed at the look he was getting from his friend.

"I'll be sure to tell them sir," Wesley replied as he tried his hardest to contain his smile. He was failing completely and Maggie was gladly sharing the smile with him.

%

"You son of a bitch!" Nate screamed with danger shining in his eyes.

"Nate!" Eliot jumped in between the hacker and the mastermind immediately. "Calm down!"

"You're supposed to check the clients before and after we meet them!" Nate squirmed against the hitter's strong arms in an effort to strangle the hacker as originally intended. "You're supposed to prevent this!"

"I quadruple checked them!" Hardison shouted back just as angrily as the mastermind, only there was no one to stop him from hitting his goal. "It's your plan that blew up!"

"Dammit Hardison!" Eliot threw the mastermind back to better get in between the two quarrelling men. "Why do you have to choose now to be a prick?"

"You're taking his side?" Hardison rounded on the hitter without a moment of hesitation. "If anything this is your fault! You're supposed to protect us!"

"I was doing my job!" Eliot growled with violence in his every breath, "I got you and Nate out in one piece, didn't I?"

"If you can call that one piece…" Hardison began before the mastermind's fist met him full on in the mouth.

"Dammit Nate," Eliot pulled the mastermind back so quickly the older man nearly went through the table from the force of the blow. "Calm the Hell down!"

"I need a drink," Nate grunted out in response as he headed to the door.

"Yeah, go on!" Hardison enticed venomously. "Just go drink away your problems and leave the rest of us to clean up this mess! I don't know what Sophie sees in you the way you continuously run away from every damn thing there is! You don't love her!"

The mastermind stopped at the door and went extremely rigid at the hacker's words. His back straightened and the man went to his full height. His arms and legs dug out everything in their power to make him seem even bigger than he actually was. There was danger in his posture as if somebody finally ignited the fire that led to certain death. Nate's breaths were slow as he stayed motionless with his back to the two younger men. The tension in the room was growing far too unbearable.

"What did you just say?" Nate's coldest voice questioned so sharply it could have cut like a very well-sharpened knife.

"I said…" Hardison began before the hitter's hand grasped his arm tightly.

"Hardison," Eliot warned with fearful eyes, "Don't."

The hacker glared at the big muscly man and pulled his hand away in scorn. He squared his shoulders and turned his attention back on the mastermind before him. "I said I don't know what Sophie sees in a coward like you!"

"Is that all?" Nate questioned back in a very plain and very calm voice.

"Yeah! I said you don't love her too!" Hardison shrugged back as an aim for the kill.

"Nate…" Eliot began in a whimper that should never have come from his mouth.

"No, Eliot," Nate interrupted without adjusting anything but his voice. It was colder than it had been only seconds ago, "Let him finish."

"I'm finished," Hardison smiled at the current play by play. "Now speak your mind, coward!"

"As long as you're finished," Nate agreed with two steps forward and his hand calmly on the door. "Like I said before, I'm getting a drink."

"Sophie's an idiot," Hardison hissed out in disgust immediately afterwards.

"Did you just insult my girlfriend?" Nate demanded of the hacker as he very calmly turned around with a blank expression on his face, "Because I'm going to have to kill you if you did."

"You don't deserve her," Hardison crinkled his nose in distaste of the mastermind's choice.

"You think you deserve Parker the way you're acting right now?" Nate shot back with a frown suddenly marring his features.

"I hope we lose," Hardison enticed further with too bright eyes, "that way you learn exactly what you've done to this team every time you drink instead of focus on doing your job!"

"It's my job that saved your life!" Nate argued back just as loudly without so much as a flinch at the younger man's advancement.

"Guys," Eliot grunted out because he didn't know what else to do.

"You have to bring her back," Hardison pleaded of the mastermind with a single tear accidentally slipping down his cheek.

"Do your job and I'll do mine," Nate promised with a simple nod.

The hacker nodded and plumped in front of his computer with vicious tappings filling the uneasily quiet room.

"And for the record," Nate coughed out with heavy fear trembling in his tone, "I do."

It had been a lie. They had done their jobs and it still wasn't enough. It had all been for nothing. They still lost…

"No!" Alec bolted straight up in his bed with wide eyes of fright at the terrifying dream. "Dammit, no!"

It had happened again. After six years of putting the past behind him, he still had the damn dream. The past seemed to be pleading with him to never let it go. It was becoming an unwelcome nuisance the way it kept popping up at the most inopportune times. The nightmares of the past were still swirling around the deepest holes in the young mastermind's mind. There was only one thing that could explain this memory's resurfacing now.

"Looks like I'm researching tonight," Alec grumbled as he politely shuffled himself out of bed and got ready for the rest of the day's activities. He was going to do some recon. That was always the best cure when the past snuck up.

%

Damien, Ashley and Craig were kindly unpacking the back of the mastermind's car at the airport. They were all glad to do any small part they could for the woman who easily charmed them in a day. Maggie had brought a new side to their leader and they were willing to do anything for her. Alec was busy telling his friend good-bye while they were unpacking suitcases.

"Now Maggie," Alec commented in a forced business tone, "Remember to locate all of your exits before you decide on a place to sit."

"Alec, I know the drill," Maggie placed calming hands on the mastermind's arms. "I still have my emergency kit stashed away in the event I need to get out of any sticky situation. I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me."

"It's just that you'll be out of my sight for a whole flight," Alec shrugged guiltily. "You know how much that worries me when I can't make sure you're fine."

"I have to take a plane, Alec," Maggie smiled kindly at the gesture. "I don't have the time to drive or I would. You know that."

"I'm going to be keeping an eye on your flight until you land," Alec promised with a smile. "That way I'll know if something comes up."

"I'll save you the time and give you a call," Maggie smiled at the familiar banter with a quick kiss on the mastermind's cheek. "I've got to go so you make certain these kids get home."

"Will do," Alec promised when the three thieves finally gave their new friend her luggage. "See you later, Maggie."

"Later, Alec," Maggie waved off as she took her luggage and started to go, "Bye kids. It was nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too," Ashley was kind enough to call off while the two boys politely waved the civilian off.

"Well," Craig sighed while Damien continued to wave good-bye to his new crush. "That was interesting."

"Yeah," Alec smiled a bit at the thief's comment. "Come on, let's get you guys home, and I don't want to see your mugs again until the two weeks is done. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Ashley remarked with a broad smile at the mastermind's playful mood. She immediately jumped into the car and brought her boyfriend in with her.

"Do we get to keep this mastermind?" Damien questioned with hope shimmering in his eyes.

"Maybe," Alec laughed richly at the hacker's silly question. "Now get in the car before I change my mind."

"Yes sir," Damien saluted before he gleefully jumped into the back seat with the other passengers.

Alec laughed at the enthusiasm and started debating the pros and cons of releasing the hacker from his punishment. He was continuing this line of thought when he got into the car and proudly started the engine. He was about to propose a spot for dinner when he saw an image he had never expected to see again.

"Alec?" Ashley questioned when she noticed the quick change in mood from the boss up front.

Alec stared at the head with wide eyes. He saw blonde hair like that before. He knew somebody with blonde hair like that. It was the exact same tint as the blonde hair from his memories. It was the same thin, straggly, highly treated, incredibly infuriating hair from a life before. It was the hair that still haunted his nightmares.

"I've got to go," Alec explained to his crew the moment he realized what was about to happen. "I just remembered a very important errand I have to do. You guys okay with me dropping you off at the bus stop?"

"But we just got in here," Damien frowned at the mastermind's thoughts.

"I'll pay," Alec enticed further with a quick foot on the gas to make certain that it was more of a command than an offer.

"Where are you going?" Craig demanded with questioning eyes.

"Get out," Alec ordered with both of his eyes still attached to something the rest of the crew were unable to see.

"Come on, guys," Ashley agreed with daggers pouring from her eyes at the rough treatment.

"I'll see you in two weeks," Alec commented when the trio was out. "No more freelancing, D-man!"

The mastermind was gone before the hacker could even think of saying a word. His car raced through the lanes at breakneck speed and refused to stop for anyone or anything.

"Did you see the look in his eyes?" Ashley questioned of the thief when the car finally disappeared from sight.

"That's the kind of look he gets when he's about to something stupid alright," Craig breathed out in frustration.

"Where do you think he's going?" Ashley asked with a demanding look towards her brother.

"Already ahead of you," Damien smiled as he showed his phone tracking even as they shared a grin.

**A/N II:** _Well, that's your final hint. Answers are coming your way in the next chapter. Some of you are close but you're going to have to read the next one to figure out just how close you are. Spoiler warning: The next chapter is a doozy._


	6. Truth, Finally!

**A/N: **_Ooh, answers!_

"Here?" Ashley whined at the airport sign still in disbelief over the fact that they were actually in this current situation.

"Here," Damien confirmed with a quick wave of his phone as back up. It was a useless tactic. The others didn't know that much about computers to verify it.

"Why Boston?" Craig questioned in confusion.

The three looked around Logan Airport in hopes of maybe finding the answer of their question there. It was no use trying to figure it out. Their mastermind was in Boston and only he would have the answer as to why. It was time to make the trudge to his hotel and get matters sorted. They needed to if they ever expected to save the mastermind in time.

%

"Seriously?" Damien demanded the moment they made it into the quiet hotel space. "All of these great Luxury Hotels and he chooses a four star on commonwealth!"

"What's he thinking?" Craig agreed with a curt nod as he took a look around the area. "He should be lying low right now and not attracting attention. The idiot's just begging to get caught."

"Dude he used Sam Ford as his alias," Damien stated in surprise. "He only uses that for emergencies. In fact the only time he ever uses that is when his family is involved."

"Guys," Ashley interrupted their bonding time, "I'm sure he has an explanation for all of this."

"Yeah," Craig huffed in doubt, "I'm sure he planned on having us follow him here only to tell us some big secret about his old gang like we've questioned of him a billion times! That's likely."

"Nope," a very familiar voice reported from the shadows. "I was actually just wondering why you are all here when I wanted a moment alone."

"Hi Alec," Ashley waved to their boss with a wide smile the moment the lights went on and revealed the mastermind sitting in a nice, plush rocking chair.

"You guys want to explain what you're up to?" Alec hinted with a glare from his chair.

"You want to explain what you're doing at the Eliot Hotel in Boston at three a.m." Craig posed back viciously.

"Recon," Alec muttered out simply, "You?"

"Chasing you," Damien shrugged in acknowledgement.

"We were worried about you," Ashley commented immediately after.

"Worried about me?" Alec stared at the hitter in confusion.

"You were wearing that look you wear whenever you're about to do something stupid and dangerous," Craig explained sharply.

"Stupid or dangerous?" Alec posed back to the thief in amusement of the statement.

"yeah," Damien nodded suddenly bold for once in his life. "It's the look you wear right before you get shot, hold a bomb, or almost die."

"You usually wear that look around Chaos," Ashley shrugged with a mild form of respect coming from her.

"Thus the mentioning of the bomb and the almost dying," Damien agreed with vigorous nods at his sister's proposal.

"You're here because you're worried about me?" Alec grinned at the foolish idea his team seemed to be having, "You think I'm going to get into trouble or something along that caliber. That's it, that's why you're here?"

"Why else would we be?" Ashley demanded of the boss with concern flittering across her features. The mastermind stopped laughing and stared at the hitter in surprise. He watched every single muscle in her tiny cheeks expand and contract with worry as her training fought to make her face blank of emotion. It was a familiar look, one he had helped his team make better not so long ago. It was a look that had always been specific to one other. It was a look from the past and the evil memories still bleeding there.

"Get out," Alec ordered the moment he was successfully out of his chair and safely leaning across the kitchen counter to hide his emotions. He was the only one who could do it without people noticing. Of course, he was trained by the best. "All of you get out now."

"Not until you tell us what you're doing," Ashley remarked sadly in surprise of the quick change of tension in the room.

"I said get out!" Alec slammed his fist on the counter in determination to stop the conversation quick and easy.

"No," Craig shook his head at the boss' orders, "We're not leaving."

"Free-lancing ends in trouble," Damien commented slowly. "Remember when I hacked into and out of the pentagon?"

"That was different," Alec snapped at the hacker in outrage.

"How is Damien acting like an idiot and risking all of our lives any different than you acting like an idiot by coming to Boston?" Craig demanded of the mastermind immediately.

"Because it's only my life that's being risked," Alec retorted softly. "That's how."

"What are you trying to pull?" Ashley demanded in a soft whimper of her usual silver voice.

"And why are you trying to pull it without us?" Damien asked directly after that.

"I told you," Alec rolled his eyes in aggravation of his team's demands. "I'm just doing recon."

"Recon for what?" Ashley stressed.

"Recon for a job that will never include you," Alec responded bitterly. He wasn't going to allow his team to be consumed by his own obsession. By now it was more of a hobby than a dream anyway.

"Let's see it," Craig proposed angrily. "I want to know what's worth risking our lives for. What could you possibly be cooking up when we're on vacation?"

"It's nothing you need to trouble…" Alec began to argue before the hitter's hand was on his shoulder and he was facing her directly.

"What's the job?" Ashley questioned slowly. "It's our choice whether or not we help you."

"Fine!" Alec shrugged off the hitter's comfort with careless ease as he went back to the comfy chair and the desk he had been using. He quickly pulled out a large beaten file. It was a paper file.

"Woa!" Damien stared at the large file in bewilderment, "I thought these puppies went instinct! This is like… super old technology. The only thing that could possibly be better is one of those phones where you have to dial out every single number!"

"Just open the file!" Ashley ordered while her boyfriend remained staring daggers into the mastermind. They appeared to be at an impasse.

"Aren't you going to invade my privacy too?" Alec demanded of the thief with a dismissive wave of his irritated hands.

"We're a team," Craig repeated the mastermind's words from an earlier conversation without blinking. "What one person does effects the rest of us, you said that."

"I am aware," Alec nodded at the play.

"So when one screws up," Craig finished pointedly, "We all screw up."

"Exactly," Alec agreed with an irritated grin.

"Don't risk our lives," Craig ordered demonically. "Hypocrite!"

"Anything else?" Alec rolled his eyes at the thief's comforting statement.

"Nope," Craig retorted back with a shrug. "I'm going to go see what was worth getting us killed. Don't care if you don't mind."

"Just read the damn file!" Alec ordered angrily. He was quietly sulking over the fact that he was getting a lecture from a man barely out of his teens. Of course, the last time he was in a similar situation the reverse was happening. He had been the one barely out of his teens giving a lecture to a man twice his age in the same devious tone. Apparently Karma really did come around.

The three thieves started picking through the information to the job in confusion. There were many newspaper articles about mysterious accidents, but they didn't seem related in the least. There were pictures everywhere that merely held fragments of images and none of the images were enough to put together a whole picture. It was as if an insane person or an inexperienced thief put this chunky file together. Nothing in it actually worked towards creating anything substantial. It made no sense that the mastermind obsessed over it. Then they closed the file and read the front cover. The three stared at the heading font in complete wonder. It was entitled The Sophie Job.

"Who's Sophie?" Damien questioned of the mastermind the moment he finished reading the words on the page.

"And why are we going after her?" Ashley asked after that.

"We're not going after her," Alec rolled his eyes at his students in exasperation. "She's the victim. I don't have time for this. I've got a job to do!"

"We've got a job to do," Craig glared at the mastermind. "We're a team, remember?"

"You want to join in on the crazy? Fine!" Alec bellowed angrily. "Let your own heads go onto the chopping board. I don't care! The only thing that will actually help is if we get a grifter and we aren't doing that! It's pointless so scatter!"

"Why are you doing this?" Ashley stared at her mentor in confusion. "What do you hope to gain here?"

"Some peace," Alec answered automatically with a very loud snarl. "Is that so much to ask?"

"Don't yell at her!" Craig ordered dangerously.

"Dammit!" Alec pounded his hands against the top of his head in frustration. "Get out of my hotel room!"

"We're not leaving til you answer our questions!" Ashley shot back right on cue.

"Who's Sophie?" Damien repeated his question from earlier.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Alec begged of his crew in earnest.

"Because we're a team," Craig remarked with a forced calm. "What's the job?"

"Doesn't matter," Alec replied with a big grunt as he pounced into his chair and stared at his keyboard. "We need a grifter in order to pull this off and we don't have one!"

"Why don't we get one?" Ashley suggested harshly.

"Because I don't want one," Alec huffed towards the hitter with scrunched shoulders. "I refuse to get a grifter!"

"Who's Sophie?" Damien demanded of the mastermind again in confusion.

"And why can't we have a grifter when you know we need one?" Craig questioned immediately after that.

"What aren't you telling us?" Ashley asked of the mastermind with sorrowful eyes.

"We have a job to do," Alec commented as he started typing away at his keyboard as if it were something he did all the time.

"You know how to work a computer?" Damien gasped at the news.

"He taught you," Ashley glared at her brother in confusion.

"Alec!" Craig shouted as he purposely stood in the mastermind's way, "We need answers."

"Answers?" Alec demanded of the thieves in surprise, "You need answers?"

The three thieves just nodded along in eager anticipation of anything they could learn about the man who taught them how to be better than what they were.

"You don't need answers," Alec snapped at them in irritation, "You all need to learn when to mind your own damn business!"

"You are our business," Ashley stressed with worry thick in her voice and a look from her emerald eyes that made the mastermind momentarily paralyzed.

"You're our boss," Damien pointed out softly, "If we don't have each other's back…"

"What do we have?" Craig hammered the final nail in the coffin with absolute determination covering his features.

"Touché," Alec pointed out in defeat.

"Why are we taking on another job after you promised us two weeks off?" Ashley started off with a bitter tone.

"An old friend showed up," Alec responded in kind. "It's personal."

"What "old friend" are you trying to avoid?" Craig demanded immediately in response.

"There were a few deaths…" Alec stuttered at the honesty that almost escaped his lips, "They did not end well."

"Deaths?" Damien repeated with crinkled eyebrows, "What deaths?"

"What made you decide to do another job in that airport?" Ashley huffed out angrily.

"What memory could have possibly forced you into acting like this?" Craig slammed his fists in front of the mastermind in agitation that he couldn't stop this from happening.

"It's nothing," Alec snarled at the thief with impressive bravado, "Forget about it!"

"Not when it endangers our team!" Ashley snapped back at the mastermind with a ferocious growl kindly escaping her lips.

"So," Damien decided to relieve some of the tension in the room a bit, "There was a death…"

"Not a death," Alec growled at the comment as if he had been personally attacked, "deaths as in plural! I shouldn't even be mentioning this! You guys just go back and I'll…"

"No!" Craig denied the mastermind's statement immediately, "We're a team and we're going to help you with this mission."

"But we need to know why it's so important to you," Ashley responded gently, "Why are you doing this, Alec?"

"I mean…" Damien stuttered out with a half-smile on his lips, "It's not like you to just sneak off and work a job on your own, man!"

"That's something Nathan Ford would pull," Craig scoffed at the truth, "and we all know what happened to him!"

"Well," Damien shrugged at the statement, "more or less."

"You have no idea what happened to Nathan Ford," Alec breathed out with cold fury flaming within his eyes.

"I know he had a tendency to let his rage control his judgment," Craig snapped at the mastermind's unusual antics, "and that his blood thirsty lust for power is what finally destroyed him and his team!"

"Don't you dare say that about him!" Alec shouted as he picked the thief up and slammed him into the wall, "Don't you ever say that about Nathan Ford again!"

"Why?" Craig continued as if he wasn't currently hugging the wall and within an inch of his life, "Are you going to con me into pulling off an Eliot Spencer like he did?"

"That was out of line!" Alec howled at the thief's cheap words with the obvious intent to kill shimmering in his eyes.

"That's enough!" Ashley demanded of the pair with fear in her eyes, "Let him go, Alec."

"Go ahead," Craig teased with a malicious grin, "Destroy me like Nathan Ford destroyed Eliot Spencer. I dare you!"

"Let him go, Alec!" Ashley stressed with more vigor and concern.

"Listen here, punk, and listen well," Alec thundered towards the thief with venom dripping from his very pores, "Nathan Ford had nothing to do with Eliot Spencer's death and it will do you well to remember that!"

"Or what?" Craig demanded as he noticed sorrow pouring from his mastermind's eyes.

"Or yes," Alec replied as he released the thief and headed towards the other end of the room, "You will end up like Eliot Spencer."

"So Nate Ford really did convince the man to commit suicide?" Damien squawked out with an air of joy in the back of his throat.

"No," Alec sighed in frustration of what he was about to do, "Nate didn't kill him. He didn't have anything to do with it. Well, not enough to convince him to do it anyway."

"Is this about your old team?" Craig demanded as he let their boss' words sink in, "Is that what this whole mess is about?"

"If it is, then you need us," Ashley pointed out with sorrow in her voice.

"And we need full disclosure," Damien agreed as he watched the room for signs of what to do next.

"Full disclosure?" Alec stared at his teammates in wonder of what he had done, "You want full disclosure, huh?"

"Yeah," Craig nodded invitingly in hope of getting an answer.

"Alright," Alec agreed as he stared at the screen in front of him in resignation, "full disclosure."

The three thieves stared at each other in complete shock of what they were about to get. They each quietly sat down at the table and watched their mastermind for any signs of what was about to happen next.

"You know," Alec started out in a rough voice that was itchy to their ears, "My old team never needed full disclosure on anything. All we needed was the job and any information that could harm us."

"What were they like?" Damien asked out in wonder of anything involving his boss' past.

"They were…" Alec laughed at the odd memories that were passing him by, "They were a bunch of crazies if you ask me. Lying, stealing, drinking, and punching anything and everything in sight no matter what the situation. I kid you not when I say Maggie is the only person in history to have ever actually gotten us to sit down and act normal for more than just a con."

"How many of you were there?" Ashley demanded with wide, eager eyes.

"There were five of us including me," Alec responded with a smirk, "We were just a simple crew, really. Hitter, hacker, thief, mastermind… grifter."

"There it is again," Craig pointed out to the others with genuine interest, "His breath caught on the word grifter. Did you guys catch that?"

"Yeah," Damien nodded at the thief's statement, "Your breath did catch when you said grifter."

"Why is that?" Ashley demanded with a tilt of her head, "Was she like your girlfriend or something?"

"She wasn't my girlfriend," Alec laughed at the simple expectation, "Naw, that's just… that's just nasty! And wrong, wrong in so many ways!"

"Oh…" Ashley nodded her head in understanding, "Mother son vibe."

"What happened?" Craig asked with concern on his features at the dark tone his boss was suddenly wearing.

"An old enemy of ours kidnapped her," Alec answered honestly.

"What did you do?" Damien demanded completely invested in the story.

"Well… She'd been missing for six and a half months before we finally found her. It took us a few more weeks after that to prepare but that was just to make certain we had enough medical supplies and things for the perfect snatch and grab…" Alec Hardison explained to his young crew before his memories decided to come back in vivid detail.

Nate was the fastest when it came to rushing through the abandoned warehouse. It looked like it had once been a factory the way the tall broken windows stretched wide enough for sunlight to filter through the grimy residue. Dead bodies were lying on the floor in front of them. The hitter was doing his best to keep up with the mastermind. Anybody who pointed a weapon was quickly destroyed by Eliot's well-aimed bullets. Parker was forced to run in between the men after her head injury. The only reason she was allowed to come was because nobody wanted to stay behind. It was too dangerous. Everybody was carrying weapons.

Hardison watched the mastermind throw himself into the last door in a very manic manner. Everything about the mastermind's current state shouted crazy considering the circumstances. Then again, nobody was in the right state of mind. They all rushed into the room with hope and fear filling their hearts. It was the darkest room in the building with only one window lighting the place. There were cabinets and counters everywhere that hinted that the room had once been used as a kitchen. But it was the bed that mattered.

In the middle of the room there was a cot surrounded by tubing. There were several pillows on this cot in pristine white condition. The bangle of blankets and sheets were just as pearly white as the pillows. Even the brunette grifter laying in the mess of white had taken on the pale demeanor.

"Sophie," Nate cried out as he immediately got onto the cot with the grifter and held her in his arms as gently as possible.

"Don't," Eliot ordered the blonde thief when it looked like she was about to pull out the tube pumping drugs into their grifter's system, "You'll kill her!"

"Sorry," Parker whispered to the grifter as she yanked her hand away as fast as possible.

"Oh Sophie," Nate hissed as he noticed dried blood and bruising all over his grifter's body, "What did they do to you?"

"I'm going to kill them!" Hardison snarled at the broken grifter lying in their mastermind's arms.

"Get away from me!" a soft voice screeched in alarm before a series of fists and feet flew through the air against the mastermind.

"Sophie!" Nate shouted at the grifter as he grabbed her flinging arms and gently applied pressure, "Sophie! Soph, it's okay! It's me! It's me, Sophie! It's me! You don't have to fight anymore! I'm here! I'm right here!"

"Nate?" Sophie gasped as the mastermind's words finally penetrated through her drug fogged mind, "It's you! It's really you!"

"It's me, Soph," Nate smiled brokenly as he pulled the grifter into his arms and held on tight, "I'm here! We're all here! You're safe now!"

"Parker," Sophie moaned as she cried into the mastermind's shoulder, "They took Parker!"

"She's right here, Soph," Hardison explained as he stepped closer to the grifter and pulled the thief with him, "We got to her in time!"

"Nate," Sophie stammered out as she moved enough to stare into her mastermind's eyes, "I… I was…"

"It doesn't matter, Soph," Nate cried out in fear of what she was about to tell him, "You're safe now! None of that matters anymore!"

"I…" Sophie continued to stutter with shagged breaths, "I was pregnant!"

"What?" Eliot gasped out in shock of the grifter's statement.

"I was pregnant, Nate," Sophie moaned to the mastermind with tears slipping down her cheeks at the news she was delivering to the people she loved, "I was pregnant!"

"No!" Nate ordered as he struggled against the grifter to stop her from pulling out the IV that was keeping her alive, "No!"

The grifter just burst into tears and cuddled with the mastermind's shoulder because her strength was pretty much shot at the moment.

"Nate?" Hardison sighed at the way the grifter was acting.

"It's going to be okay, Sophie," Parker explained as she hugged the grifter and mastermind as tightly as she could, "We're here to save you."

"Is there a way we can turn down the amount of drugs in her system so we can slowly get her off of them?" Hardison demanded of the hitter with hope.

"Not if she was pregnant," Eliot announced with a look to his face as if he swallowed a dozen lemons all at once, "Her estrogen levels will still be too high and…"

"And all the other factors will…" Hardison groaned as reality started to sink in from the hitter's words.

"But it's Sophie," Parker gasped as she immediately figured out what the hitter was saying, "She'll be fine, right Nate?"

"No, Parker," Nate denied the thief with red rimmed eyes, "She won't be."

"No," Parker complained as she stared at the mastermind in complete shock, "You're lying! She's not… She wouldn't…!"

"Oh, Parker," Nate sighed at the thief's reaction to the dreadful news, "I wish I was wrong!"

"Nate," Eliot stammered with that sick look back on his face again, "If we had gotten here sooner…"

"I know," Nate cried as he gently held onto the crying grifter with tears slowly dripping down his cheeks, "Wouldn't have made a difference."

"She was gone too long," Eliot shook his head as red rims formed around his eyes at the news, "We couldn't…"

"It's not your fault," Hardison stressed to the hitter with a small pat on his shoulder, "We all told you to go after Parker instead!"

"Including Sophie," Nate added on with sadness clearly showing on his every feature as he clung to the grifter for dear life.

"Soph," Parker coughed out when the sounds of sobbing suddenly stopped.

"S-s-ssshe's…. she's gone, Parker," Eliot frowned when the mastermind moved just enough for everyone to see the grifter was no longer breathing and deathly pale.

"I love you," Nate cried into the brunette's hair as he kissed her on the forehead before closing her eyes, taking out the IV in her arm, and lifting her into his arms where she had always belonged, "I loved you… so much, Soph!"

"We buried her beside Sam," Alec explained when the memory had faded away from his vision long enough to remember where he was, "That was his son! He wanted to be buried between them so we buried her near Sam with Maggie's blessing."

"What happened to the rest of your team?" Craig asked with a kinder voice than the one he had when their conversation had first started out.

"Why don't we worry about the job, first?" Alec demanded of his crew with a sad smile.

"Yeah," Ashley agreed as she got the hint before the boys, "By the looks of it, we've got a funeral home runner who is embezzling funds from the home and investing them in her very own mob. We could try that instead."

"Funeral home," Alec swallowed at the familiar statement, "I remember the last time I went after somebody who pulled off a funeral home scam."

"Wasn't it last week?" Damien demanded of his boss in confusion.

"I meant the last time my last team and I went after one, D-man," Alec rolled his eyes at the hacker who was in his place.

"What happened?" Ashley demanded with greedy eyes for story time.

"I ended up buried alive," Alec informed his captivated audience with a sad smile, "And she saved me."

"The grifter?" Ashley tilted her head in confusion, "Or Craig's predecessor?"

"Hey," Craig snarled at his girlfriend affectionately, "I'm irreplaceable."

"So was she," Alec smiled fondly at the memory of a certain blonde thief who could jump from rooftop to rooftop with a happy smile on her face.

"What happened to the rest of your team, Alec?" Damien demanded when he noticed the way his boss reacted to that one memory, "Why can't we meet the others? You say you guys were the best but there are just no signs of them anywhere! What happened?"

"Damien!" Ashley snarled at her brother to keep him in line, "It doesn't matter, Alec. He's just being stupid!"

"We tried pulling off jobs afterwards," Alec answered his teammates immediately, "Our other… our back-up… Well, she wasn't… She wasn't Sophie Devereaux."

"I'll say," Craig laughed at the comparison immediately, "Man, what I wouldn't give to have been one of the thieves working under Sophie Devereaux! You couldn't outcon Sophie Devereaux! I hear Nathan Ford tried on several occasions and he and Jim Sterling were the only ones who ever came close enough to actually succeed too."

"What happened to her?" Ashley demanded of her boyfriend with an air of jealousy.

"She conned Nathan Ford into falling in love with her and vice versa," Alec replied to the shock of all.

"How do you know?" Damien demanded with bug eyes, "You're not telling me that you worked for Nathan Ford and Sophie Devereaux! You are not telling me this!"

"Alec," the mastermind pointed to himself with an air of importance, "As in Alec Hardison! I am and always will be their hacker extraordinaire!"

"Told ya!' Ashley shouted in triumph, "I told ya Alec was the best hacker ever! I totally called it!"

"But that means…" Craig stared at the mastermind heartbroken, "That the grifter…"

"She was gorgeous 'til the end," Hardison confirmed with a sad sigh, "And I'm sure you know what happened to the others now."

"Eliot Spencer committed suicide five years ago in the Congo," Damien nodded with wide eyes as reality finally sunk in.

"Only a year after Devereaux's passing," Craig nodded.

"And Tara Cole…" Ashley gasped at the very truth of it.

"Don't say that name!" Alec snapped at the hitter with a ferocious roar, "Never! Never say that name to me ever again! Because of her I lost everything!"

"But the stories said you and Parker stayed together?" Craig demanded of the boss as he stumbled in front of the hitter for her protection.

"Obviously that didn't work out," Alec clenched his jaw before he turned his attention to the screens and began working on the con before them. "We can't do this!"

"Why not?" Damien demanded with a crestfallen look of defeat.

"We can always work on it at a later date," Ashley suggested as a form of sympathy.

"We'll leave now," Craig stated sharply as he motioned for the hacker to follow him.

"No," Alec sighed at his team's willingness to withdraw, "I mean we can't do this! We need a grifter!"

"I know a grifter," Ashley shrugged at the statement, "Maybe we could use him!"

"No," Alec denied immediately, "We need a woman for this one!"

"I don't know any grifters who are girls," Craig explained with a grimace, "At least none that we can actually ask a favor from!"

"You are such a pig!" Ashley hissed at her boyfriend in disgust.

"You're the one dating him," Damien pointed out simply.

"Quiet!" Alec shouted at the top of his lungs when it looked like war was going to break out between the two siblings, "I know who we can call."

"But she's dead," Damien gasped out as his first thought raced into words.

"Not her, you idiot!" Ashley slapped her brother on the back of the head again, "He means somebody else!"

"Not the…" Craig warned with fear on his face.

"No," Alec shook his head at the thief's distraught look, "We're going to get Natasha!"

The mastermind made his dramatic exit right through the other three baffled members of his team. The three stared after him in complete shock before words finally formed in their heads and escaped through their mouths.

"Who's Natasha?" all three shouted after their boss in confused unison.

**A/N II:**_ Not as long as I thought it was. Sweet! So, I know I'm an evil person for doing that but I'm going to tell you a little secret. Just because they're dead doesn't mean you won't be seeing them again sometime in the future. This has a happy ending I'm just saying._


	7. Natasha Samuels aka Alice White

**A/N: **_Ooh, answers!_

Natasha apparently meant Natasha Samuels and she apparently lived in Boston. Why she lived in Boston was beyond the three young members of their excellent team. Ashley considered Boston to be the place where you hit rock bottom and need to rebuild yourself. Damien felt Boston was too old for his brilliance and lacked the appropriate luster a new city contained. Craig just hated it for its history. He didn't mind the Boston tea party. He was more upset about the underground history. You see, Boston was one of the cities that housed Nathan Ford and his crew.

"So this is why you chose Boston?" Craig complained to the mastermind in anger of his very presence in the horrid city. "You wanted to catch up with an old acquaintance?"

"One reason of many," Alec rolled his eyes at the thief's casual ignorance. "There was a time when Natasha Samuels called Boston home. I'm hoping she still does."

"Hoping?" Ashley stared at the choice of words in confusion.

"Okay, I know she still lives here," Alec agreed at the hitter's insightful response negatively. "And yes, that is not the reason I came here initially."

"Well we figured that much out before we got here," Damien blurted out with a comfortable shrug before his sister kindly punched him in the shoulder, "Ow! What was that for?"

"You're an idiot," Ashley shook her head in complete disbelief of how idiotic her brother was and that she was related to him.

"I'm still confused on why we're standing outside an old pub instead of going in and having a brew," Craig commented brashly. "I mean, it's not like any of us are actually underage."

"Damien's still got a month before he gets to say that," Ashley reminded the group with a quick eye roll.

"Well, if you would stop informing everyone of that information," Damien snarled at his sister ready for war.

"Relax," Alec sighed at the banter, "I'm just getting my bearings back."

"Bearings?" Damien questioned in confusion.

"It doesn't matter," Alec shook his head in protest. "Natasha should be on her way here now."

"She lives above a bar?" Damien stared at the mastermind in surprise. "Who lives above a bar?"

"Alcoholics," Ashley spouted off in worry. "Alec, what have you signed us up for?"

"I didn't sign you up for anything," Alec countered with an air of disbelief in his hollow voice. "You volunteered, remember?"

"So what did we volunteer for?" Craig stressed with a very pointed _don't be mean to my girlfriend_ look.

"You're about to find out," Alec remarked the moment he saw the familiar figure bouncing her way towards them.

The woman who appeared to be Natasha Samuels bounded down the street without a moment of pause. Her blonde hair was pinned back in a ponytail and her outfit screamed _don't notice me_. She wore a powder blue shirt underneath a leather jacket. She had on blue jeans and a camera strapped firmly around her neck with a wide smile on her face. Her shoes appeared to be very comfortable sneakers and it made absolutely no sense that this woman was a grifter. She didn't look the part. Then Natasha's happy blue eyes fell on the crew of thieves and her face went blank in challenge.

"You?" the blonde stared at Alec as if the rest of the world didn't exist.

"Me," Alec nodded in understanding of the weary gaze upon him.

"What do you want?" the blonde woman demanded of the mastermind with anger actually taking over her face.

"To offer you a job," Alec responded towards the blonde woman with a smile.

"I've already got one," the woman hummed with venom as she made her way away from the recruiting mastermind. She was going to run for it. It was obvious by the way she carefully positioned herself closer to the alleyway.

"Hey," Ashley stated as she stood in the blonde woman's way, "At least hear him out before you go ahead and decide he isn't worth it."

"I don't need a job," the woman huffed as she glared at the mastermind with impressively hateful eyes, "I work on an alternative revenue stream."

"So do we," Alec quipped with a sad smile. "But we need a grifter and Natasha Samuels is supposed to be the best when it comes to the short con."

"I don't go by that name anymore," Natasha hissed at the mastermind coldly, "I haven't gone by that name since…"

"Since Tara Cole was killed in a car explosion four and a half years ago!" Alec finished the sentence with a growl.

"Clever," Natasha sighed at the mastermind's statement, "Listen, Alec, I don't do that anymore! I'm a grifter now! I don't work with teams!"

"What about Alice White?" Alec demanded briskly, "Do you still use her from time to time?"

"Only on special occasions," Natasha growled at the mastermind with sad eyes.

"Like when you're visiting graves?" Hardison gasped out in revelation, "Or when you're dropping off my birthday card even if you want to believe we aren't friends anymore?"

"I can't, Alec," Natasha stressed with tears brimming her eyes.

"Please, Parker," Hardison begged of the blonde grifter with hopeful eyes, "Work with me again! Be part of my team again! You need us just as much as we need you!"

"I'm a packaged deal, Alec," Parker explained as she stared at the mastermind with complete fear covering her face, "You can't get me without him!"

"Him?" Hardison questioned with a crestfallen expression on his face.

"He's a friend," Parker nodded in answer to the former hacker's question.

"What's his name?" Hardison asked softly.

"Nate," Parker smiled at the man's first thoughts, "he needs me, Alec."

"You've been taking care of him this entire time?" Hardison demanded with amazed eyes.

"I promised her," Parker stammered as she continued to stare at her hacker with tears slowly starting to fall from her eyes.

"I knew I should have asked you sooner," Hardison cheered as he rushed towards his thief and hugged her as tight as possible, "I'm so sorry."

"I knew you'd come back," Parker smiled as she clung to the former hacker immediately, "I knew you would figure it out eventually. I just couldn't…"

"I know," Hardison grumbled as he continued to hold the thief turned grifter tight, "I'm so sorry! I should have come home sooner!"

"You're here now," Parker acknowledged happily before she slapped him right across the face, "It sure did take you long enough!"

"Had to get a team together," Hardison grinned foolishly at the woman's statement, "Couldn't just come back with only an apology!"

"I'm Ashley," the hitter introduced herself with a grin, "I retrieve!"

"Craig," the thief stated as he held out his hand, "I steal!"

"Damien," the hacker replied as he pointed to himself with a devilish grin, "I'm the new hacker! And you're Parker, the best thief to have ever existed! Why are you a grifter?"

"I knew it would lead me to you," Parker quipped back with a steady smile then she punched the mastermind in the arm. "I've been waiting forever!"

"So," Hardison smiled back at the ex-thief with a geeky grin, "Hitter, hacker, thief, grifter, and mastermind! Now, all we need is a hangout and we're all set."

"I know just the place," Parker grinned one of her signature devilish grins.

%

"Oh, wow!" Alec gasped as he entered the old apartment in complete awe of its magnificence.

It looked exactly the same as it had all those years ago. Five chairs were still at the dining table. Six television monitors were mounted against the wall patiently waiting for the next meeting to begin. The kitchen was still spotless as ever as if it was never used despite the small pile of dishes sitting in the drying wrack to say otherwise. The living room still held the professional home vibe that had taken years to perfect. Alec Hardison was finally home.

"I know," Parker smiled at the mastermind gently. "It still takes me awhile before I remember everything that's happened since. But… home sweet home, right?"

"Yeah," Alec nodded as he felt a little teary-eyed at the old painting sitting exactly where the grifter had put it when they had first decided to stay.

"Who's the old guy in the painting?" Damien demanded when he took note of "old Nate" proudly standing above the fireplace.

"You like it?" Parker questioned with a fond smile, "Alec painted that way back when we first became a team. We call it Old Nate."

"Old Nate?" Ashley stared at the painting with her mental wheels of thought visibly turning, "As in Nathan Ford?"

"Yeah," Alec nodded slowly with pride that something of his past was still intact. "I can't believe you kept it after everything…"

"I couldn't get rid of it," Parker explained guiltily, "Too many good memories. Plus, it's one of the only things Nate has ever paid attention to."

"You mean he's walking again?" Alec asked in amazement. He remembered when the mastermind had first gone into his catatonic vegetative state.

"Sometimes he moves," Parker admitted woodenly, "Usually he just stays in the bed staring at the wall. I walked in on him taking a shower once. He didn't even react to me and just kept going. He's only living just to breath. I think he's only doing that because he knows So… She wouldn't want him to stop living because of her."

"Eliot would be furious…" Alec began before the memories started to take over.

The funeral had been rough. Maggie was standing by the head of the tomb crying her little heart out while Sterling stood beside her and tried to give what little comfort he could. Hardison was busy trying to figure out why the Interpol agent was even there. Eliot wouldn't want the man to attend his own funeral, but then again maybe he would. Parker was staring at the lowering casket of their fallen hitter with tears silently falling from her eyes. The tears were glistening on her cheeks and the autumnal wind was blowing her blonde hair into the hacker's face. He kept a firm hold around his thief's shoulders and looked around out of fear that he would forget every detail of the hitter's farewell. He spotted the mastermind staring blankly at the name on the tombstone. The man hadn't said a single word since they found out about their fallen comrade. The leader didn't even acknowledge that he had heard until preparations for the funeral had started and he just showed up and demanded the hitter be buried in the family lot near Sophie and Sam. Maggie had agreed far too quickly for any argument and explained that every other member of the crew was allowed a spot too, but only if they outlived her. Parker and Hardison had been more than willing to comply with the request. Nate had just grunted before he found himself a bottle and stared at it bitterly.

They had given him a mahogany casket with gold lining. Eliot Spencer Ford was engraved within the wood as well as the tombstone. Their mastermind's last name had become their family crest. The funeral ended far too soon. Sterling left after Maggie had assured him several times that she would be fine. The family just stood there and stared at the newest grave. They had lost again and this time it had been suicide. They were still in shock of it all.

"We should go," Maggie decided when the sun was just about to fall.

"Yeah," Hardison stammered out as he gripped the thief's shoulders tighter and led her away from their newest misery. "Come on, Parker."

"Nate?" Maggie called out to the mastermind sadly, "It's time to go."

"Yeah," Nate nodded along mechanically as he slowly shuffled towards the grifter's grave and laid down the white rose he had bought just for her. He allowed Maggie to lead him towards the car with only a slight hesitation in his stance.

"I'm going to miss him," Parker admitted once they were safely in the car.

"Me too, mama," Hardison agreed sadly from directly beside her, "Me too."

The car was completely silent on the way back to Nate's apartment. Nobody wanted to talk out of fear of what would come out. Their hitter had abandoned them. They weren't quite ready to discuss anything yet.

"There's a will," Maggie reported when the car had been parked for a few minutes. "Eliot put it on a disc for us to watch after… I think we should watch it now. I think we could all use the sound of his voice for a few moments."

The car was dead silent after that. Time had stopped and nobody could move their lips. The information of their hitter's will just couldn't be absorbed into their minds at any normal rate. Then the thief's lips started moving.

"Yeah," Parker agreed slowly. "I'd like that."

"Let's go," Hardison declared as he opened the door and helped both women out while the mastermind stayed seated and stared out the windshield.

"Nate," Maggie spoke gently as she opened the door for him, "It's time to go upstairs."

"Right," Nate turned towards his ex-wife and stared directly into her eyes for the first time since their hitter fell and calmly exited the vehicle with great care. "Let's give Eliot his last good-bye."

"There you go," Maggie encouraged with a sad smile because that was the most the mastermind had spoken all day.

The group of survivors, because that's what they were now, sat down in front of their monitors in sad confusion on what was about to happen next. Maggie locked the door and put the disc in while the others sat in their chairs and stared at the monitors. The screens were black; then Eliot Spencer appeared.

"Alright," Eliot began with his old smile firmly in place, "I have no idea how long it's been since I made this video or how old I am so I apologize ahead of time if I'm a bit too late on the subject. I finally found time to do this and figured I'd take advantage of it before Parker and/or Hardison discover what I'm up to or drag into one of their hellish ideas. No, Parker, that does not mean you should completely ignore anything and keep watching this if I'm still kicking! Dammit Hardison, don't laugh because this is serious and I have to scold you for your own good!"

The three thieves stared at the screens with mixed looks of horror and joy.

"First off," Eliot hammered out in typical Eliot fashion, "I want to say that I'm sorry I died on ya and am now leaving you unprotected. It's my job to protect ya and me dying tends to be part of that job description. At least I hope it was protecting one of ya because old age sounds stupid. Don't get me wrong, Nate. That sounds like a great plan for you but I'd rather go out fighting'. So, onto the will. Honestly, you're thieves so this is kind of pointless. Parker, you can have anything shiny you want. I told Hardison about my warehouses and their locations so finding them should be a breeze. Don't worry, the safety measures should be just the right side of challenging. I hope you enjoy it."

The small group turned towards the hacker in surprise. Hardison just swallowed thickly at the comment and guiltily started to pour himself into the furniture. Eliot stole their attention before he could succeed though.

"Hardison," Eliot grumbled towards the hacker in his own affectionate way, "You're a cranky little punk who gets on my nerves all the time and you have absolutely no idea when to stop! You complain about anything and everything and you don't know how to appreciate the good things in life like air! I love you like a brother and I am damn proud of you for everything you've done and will accomplish in life. It's been an honor to know you. You're my buddy and I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. You get all of my safe houses in the U.S. and Borneo because Parker loves that one and I know the two of you are always together so I figured there you go."

Parker almost broke out into a smile at that one.

"Maggie, I'm leaving you all of the art the others don't want so you can return it to their rightful owners or some museum that deserves it," Eliot winked towards the screen in amusement. "Don't worry about documentation because I have it all stored away in a desk at each and every hiding location. I'm also leaving you my recipes because I know you always loved them and actually cook."

Maggie didn't know how to react to that so she just smiled guiltily. Parker tilted her head onto her shoulder and Hardison arm squeezed the portion not inhabited by the thief.

"Nate," Eliot glared into the screen with a smirk, "It's not your fault. It's my job. So, to remind you of that I'm leaving you all of my libraries and a list of people you can call for information or an extra hand. They all can be trusted and they'll do whatever you ask with a simple mention of my name. I'm also leaving you my endless supply of weapons because I know you'll use them for the right reasons. You're my friend and I hope you know that. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to redeem myself even a little bit."

Nate said nothing. He just stared at the screen with wide, blank eyes. Everybody else prepared themselves for the next person on the hitter's list.

"Sophie, darlin'," Eliot commented into the screen with the kindest smirk anybody had ever seen. "I'm leaving you with the garden and all of my safe houses overseas. I'm also putting you in charge of dividing out my money to my family and the crew. Nate should know where the document is but he didn't know it was for this so don't yell at him for not telling you. He loves you and you love him so please tell each other because we're all sick of the sexual tension!"

Nobody said anything at that. Parker and Hardison exchanged half smiles of sadness because they weren't sure if they were allowed to laugh or cry. Maggie turned her attention towards Nate with worry marring her features. Nate hadn't changed, except for the slight tears silently sliding down his cheeks. Nobody commented on it as the hitter stole their attention for the last time.

"And finally Tara," Eliot choked into the screen with genuine sadness on his face. "I know this is probably the worst time to be telling you this but I…"

Nobody got to hear the next portion of the disc. The mastermind had bolted from his spot the moment the hitter had mentioned the other grifter's name. He raced towards the DVD player and yanked the disc out of it. He threw the disc against the wall in fury and watched it shatter into a million pieces against onto the floor. He turned around with a look on his face that practically dared the rest of his team to say something about it. His face looked deadly and a bit manic in defiance of his newest deed.

"At least she was last," Parker commented with her eyes firmly trained on the mastermind before her.

The mastermind's features immediately transformed from the threatening crazy to a soft form of a frown. His eyes began leaking again and he nodded his head with shallow gulps. Maggie stood up to give him a hug but he shied away from the offer with a firm shake of his head.

"No," Nate stammered in a hollow voice. "I'm going upstairs."

Parker and Hardison nodded in agreement while Maggie tried to hide the hurt of those words. They were all breaking into pieces completely now. The grifter's death had hit them hard and now the hitter's death was ripping them further apart.

"Why did he do that?" Hardison questioned in surprise. He didn't understand what was going on. It wouldn't be until a year later that he would learn the truth of Tara Cole's role in the death of Sophie Devereaux and Eliot Spencer.

"I don't know," Maggie sighed in confusion while Parker decided to sit back down and watch the stairs in misery.

That was the last thing they had ever heard their mastermind speak. Nathan Ford vanished into a catatonic state the very next day. He had disappeared into his head and refused to reemerge. The pressure of losing the woman he loved and his best friend in the matter of a year was too much to take. He left them to live in his own little world and Alec had never been able to find him since.

"You okay?" Parker politely pulled the mastermind away from memory lane with worry covering her beautiful features.

"Yeah," Alec smiled sadly at his grifter's concern. "The memories just kind of sneak up on ya, don't they?"

"That's why I couldn't stay in Portland," Parker grinned too brightly at the comment. "At least here we had nothing but happy memories."

"Except for Moreau," Alec agreed in a hollow voice.

"Yeah," Parker grimaced at the reminder, "Did you hear about his escape from San Lorenzo?"

"I looked into it," Alec nodded at the hidden question immediately. "The only thing I can find is that he escaped a year before this mess and then he disappeared. The leading theory is that he went underground and decided to stay there."

"You don't think he had a part?" Parker whispered with wide eyes.

"I checked her accounts," Alec shook his head, "There's no trail."

"I had my sources look into it;" Parker commented with a careful glance to make certain nobody was listening in. "Dubenich might have survived that fall."

"The boiler room guy had connections," Alec suggested with hope. "Maybe it was him."

"We made too many enemies," Parker huffed at the knowledge. "I still can't figure out who it was. I'm just not Nate."

"Well, even Nate's not Nate now," Alec sighed in frustration of being back at square one. "Look, the reason why I finally came to you…"

"Was because you needed help with your team," Parker responded back in her usual rough manner. "Maggie said you were having problems pacing yourself. I was thinking about tackling you down until you showed up today."

"Actually, Parker," Alec bit his lips in thought the exact way Sophie used to when she was developing an impossible idea similar to Nate's plans. "I think I found I lead."

"Spill!" Parker ordered abruptly with a dark look crossing her eye. It was the same look she wore whenever Nate dared her to do something nobody else had. It was still just as frighteningly beautiful as it was back then.

"Well," Alec swallowed roughly as he pulled out the file that brought him back. "I was looking at Sophie's medical records…"

"You looked at her medical records!" Parker yanked on the mastermind's tie with blood in her eyes.

"The ones before she was kidnapped," Alec responded with both hands raised in surrender as he politely smiled his hitter away before any damage could be done. "I didn't look at anything except who else looked at them. I swear, Parker."

"Okay," Parker nodded with a smile of relief blossoming on her face. "Sorry."

"There was a company known as Stark Industries that handled Sophie's records for the past six months before she was snatched," Alec informed the new grifter with worry. "In fact, they even handled Sophie's medical records while she was gone."

"Marcus Stark," Parker's eyes widened at the possibility, "He was always jealous that Nate got Sophie instead."

"That's what I thought too until I did some digging," Alec agreed slowly before he showed a picture of the person in charge of the business.

"It?" Parker glared at the picture in disdain. "She was the one footing the bill."

"No," Alec shook his head, "She's the face of the company. At least, she was. After her "accident" the company was officially sold to Capitol Industries."

"A subsidiary of Dubertech," Parker commented with a smile. "I've been gathering information on them for years thinking they were somehow involved."

"Here's the kicker," Alec smiled at his comrade's remarks, "Somebody went through the trouble of buying up every inch of Dubertech stock after Duberman and Moreau had it taken away. Whoever owns the company now, is here in town!"

"They're base of operations is in Boston?" Parker questioned in surprise. "That seems odd."

"That's what I said," Alec agreed with a nod, "Until I started thinking about Dubenich and how he slapped us in the face with his return."

"That's right," Parker stared at her friend in astonishment. "Dubenich sat by biding his time until the perfect moment to strike appeared."

"Which is why Boston is perfect," Alec nodded along merrily. "We left because it got to hot."

"And they moved in before the heat died down," Parker grinned at the knowledge. "Where are we going?"

"Belbridge of course," Alec smiled as he held up a photo of old, "to the new face of Dubertech."

"Oh that's just sad," Damien stared at the gleeful faces of the mastermind and grifter while the hitter and thief tried to ignore them. "They're getting giddy and we haven't even started the con yet."

"You want to tell them, or should I?" Alec demanded of the blonde in interest.

Parker just flashed him a devilish smile. She had the old twinkle in her eyes and there was nothing stopping her anymore. It was obvious to all exactly what was about to happen.


	8. It!

**A/N: **_That's enough exposition! It's time to get to the plot!_

Craig, Damien and Ashley all stared at their bosses in complete shock. Alec and Parker were currently compiling their careful stock of equipment as if the shocked faces were nothing unusual. They were both kindly strapping themselves into harnesses attached to a zip line in the center of the roof. It was highly unusual and the two leaders were acting as if this was something they did all the time. What grifter puts on a harness on a roof in Belbridge, Massachusetts?

"What are we doing here?" Craig finally asked when he couldn't take it any longer.

"We're reconning," Parker shrugged in response. "What does it look like we're doing?"

"It looks like we're on a roof forty stories in the air," Damien shrieked as he tried to keep as close to the center of the roof as possible.

"Don't be ridiculous," Parker sneered at the very idea, "It's only twenty."

"Twenty?" Damien stared at the grifter in disbelief that that was a difference.

"What's the job?" Ashley questioned to get back on task.

"Capitol Industries," Alec handed out the well-prepared folders to each member of his team before he went to strapping himself in a harness. "They're a subsidiary of Dubertech."

"A company our old crew took down a long time ago," Parker explained to the blank faces with a sad smirk.

"We have a reason to believe that they may have had prior knowledge of our grifter's medical records," Alec informed the group with a quick tug to tighten his harness.

"It's your job find those files and steal them," Parker informed the group at large.

"We're stealing files from a company that may be associated with Sophie Devereaux?" Craig asked just to be sure.

"Yep," Parker nodded vigorously.

"Pretty much," Alec announced with a shrug.

"You going to be okay?" Parker demanded of the mastermind as she carefully strapped herself in.

"It's only a twenty story drop," Alec shrugged in response.

"Seriously?" Parker stared at the mastermind in disbelief.

"Seriously," Alec smiled at the old banter. "I've been taking lessons."

"Sweet!" Parker smiled sadistically at the knowledge.

"Hold up!" Craig ordered before anybody could say or do something else. "This is a daytime job."

"Yeah," Alec nodded in agreement with the assessment, "So?"

"So," Ashley stared at her boss in disbelief, "Why are we here at four o'clock in the morning?"

"Parker wanted to jump off the building," Alec responded with shrug as if it were obvious.

"Parker wanted to jump off the building?" Damien stared at his boss in confusion.

"Uh-huh," Parker nodded gleefully before catapulting herself off of the roof. "Yippee!"

"She just jumped off the roof!" Damien stared at the blank space the grifter once occupied in disbelief that it just happened.

"Yeah, you want to try?" Alec grinned at the very idea. He was met with three matching faces of stunned surprise. "Suit yourselves!" Then he too was off the roof with a suitable slide down the zip line.

"They're crazy," Craig commented as he stared at the waving forms from down below.

%

"It's a clear sunny day today as we look into Belbridge, Massachusetts office building of…" Parker removed her walkie talkie long enough to stare at the mastermind for any hint of what the business was called.

"Capitol Industries," Alec remarked without even a hesitation to help her out. He stayed glued to his process of directing his team via the map on his phone.

"Capitol Industries," Parker proclaimed into her walkie talkie excitedly, "a subsidiary of Dubertech which is a former mark of our former team."

"Is she really going to talk in that voice the entire time?" Ashley demanded of the mastermind in obvious agitation of the grifter's childlike mimicry.

"Ooh, baby hitter's just like Eliot," Parker stated towards the mastermind with excitement, "Only she's polite."

"Parker, this is serious," Alec commented without turning away from his phone.

"I'm sorry but it's just so boring," Parker replied in a huff, "Usually I'm the one in the air vent or distracting the guard while somebody is getting the info."

"Hold up," Alec ripped his head away from his phone to stare at the thief in disbelief, "You've been with other teams since it happened?"

"You've been with other teams since Nate happened," Parker remarked in alarm of the offended look on the mastermind's face.

"I've been with this team!" Alec retorted jealously, "I've been with our team! There is only one team I've been with besides our first one! This is it!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Parker rolled her eyes at the mastermind before she quickly turned back to watching the perimeter for anything out of the ordinary. "I was cashing in on a favor."

"As long as it doesn't involve Marcus Starke or Chaos," Alec remarked bitterly into his phone in a pout. Parker just looked a little too guilty at the mention of Chaos' name and the mastermind caught it. "You worked with Chaos?"

"It was one time and only because I had to in order to steal back a painting for this really nice old couple…" Parker began to excuse herself with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh I don't believe this," Alec grumbled into his phone in misery. "Now, I know how Nate felt when Sophie told him she used to date Marcus Starke."

"She didn't exactly admit it," Parker sighed in explanation. "I also didn't date Chaos. He kissed me but then I slapped him so…"

"He kissed you?" Alec stared at the grifter with wide dangerous eyes.

"But then I slapped him," Parker nodded as if it were no big deal.

"I'm gonna kill him," Alec hollered towards the woman with jealousy in his every move. "After we finish this, I'm gonna kill him."

"Guys!" Ashley interrupted pointedly, "Do you mind telling us what files we will be stealing before you get too distracted?"

"Devereaux," Alec glared at the grifter in the car with him as he answered. "D-E-V-E-R-E-A-U-X! You are looking for any file with Devereaux or Ford! F…"

"I think I know how to spell it, Alec," Craig quieted the man down with a roll of his eyes before he gingerly tucked his way into the executive office. "I'm looking now."

"It may be under one of her aliases," Parker suggested after a moment.

"You mean one of her other aliases," Alec fired back in thought. "Sophie Devereaux was an alias too, remember?"

"Yeah but it kind of wasn't," Parker shrugged in response. "They might have it filed under one of her aliases. Unless they knew her real name."

"How would they know her real name?" Alec questioned of the thief in confusion, "Nate didn't even know her name and he was sleeping with her."

"Touché," Parker nodded in response.

"Ewe," Damien scrunched his nose in disgust, "Okay, we've got video and audio now. In case you guys wanted to actually think about something other than your past."

"Hey, it's our past that we're doing this for!" Alec and Parker both shouted into the comms at the exact same time.

"Okay, but not so loud," Ashley winced at the ringing in her ear. "We still need to hear ourselves in order to get out of this mess."

"Oops," Parker grimaced towards the mastermind with a blush appearing on her features.

"Any luck?" Alec question pointedly ignoring the pink glow emanating from the grifter for the sake of his own mind.

"Working on it," Craig breathed heavily into the comms to show his frustration, "It would be easier if you would actually give me time to look before you asked."

"Please," Parker scoffed at the thief's reply unimpressed, "I always had the stuff when Nate asked."

"You also complained whenever he asked you all the time," Alec replied kindly. "Craig's not bad at this whole thief thing."

"I could still school him," Parker shrugged in response, "If I still did that."

"Can you do a long con?" Alec asked in a gentle whisper.

"I'm better than I used to be," Parker offered quietly, "but I'm not Sophie."

"Before you get sentimental," Craig interrupted pointedly, "I think I found it."

"What is it?" Parker and Alec questioned desperately into the comms.

"Was Kristy Connelly one of her aliases?" Craig cringed at the loud noises coming into his ear.

"Yes!" Parker and Alec replied in tandem again with glares firing off at each other for allowing their desperation to show.

"Then just let me… uh-oh!" Craig glared at the sound of people coming towards him. "I thought the office was supposed to be closed today, Damien!"

"It's not my fault if somebody decided to come in to work some extra hours," Damien explained in anger of the implication. "I hack computers, I can't hack people."

"Sophie could hack people," Parker remarked with a crazed expression towards the mastermind at the memory.

"Craig, you'd better…" Alec began to order.

"I'm out but without the file," Craig reported in answer, "I'm going to use the camera scope though. See what I can get from the video footage."

"Alright," Alec started fiddling around with his phone immediately, "I've got the scene where I'm at. Ashley?"

"I'm watching," Ashley replied from a nearby office close to the executive room. "Sorry, Craig, I had to get out of Dodge before I could give you a warning. She came out of nowhere."

"No problem," Craig whispered in response. He couldn't really say anything else considering his current situation.

"Ooh, she's blonde," Damien observed pleasantly. "Her hair's a bit darker than Parker's."

"It looks like we've got our mystery buyer," Alec grinned when he recognized the guy with the woman on screen. "The guy she's with is the C.E.O."

"He's wearing a toupee," Damien giggled at the news.

"Facial recognition?" Parker questioned of the mastermind in confusion.

"Oh right," Damien grimaced as he quickly worked his magic to get the software up and running. "I forgot. Sorry, Alec."

"Don't let it happen again," Alec ordered with a grin directed at the grifter's little reminder. "You're supposed to…"

"I know, I know," Damien nodded in reply, "I'm supposed to always run face recognition when doing recon. I'll do better."

"Wow," Parker remarked with wide eyes, "He's exactly like…"

"Finish that sentence and I swear you will pay," Alec ordered of the grifter in a friendly growl.

"Nate," Parker winked at the dangerous glint shining in the mastermind's eyes. "I was going to say Nate."

"Looks like we got a match," Damien replied happily as he started sending the information along. "She's one hot blonde. Hey, I think I know that name."

An image of a blonde with blue-green eyes appeared on the hitter and mastermind's screens. The woman had hard facial features and wore large rimmed sunglasses in most of the photos. The list of names appearing on the screen were nothing compared to the look the mastermind and grifter were sharing at the moment. Parker and Alec were both staring evil daggers into the image on the screen.

"Is that…?" Ashley questioned with wide eyes at the name and picture right before her eyes.

"It!" Parker growled as she recognized the grifter immediately.

"Tara Cole," Hardison hissed out the word with obvious loathing, "The only thing in the world I hate more than Chaos and Damien Moreau combined!"

"I should have pitched her off that roof when I had the chance," Parker thought aloud with a dark wistful smile suddenly appearing on her face.

"She was on our side back then," Hardison sighed at the grifter's thinking, "We know better now!"

"They're gone," Craig explained as he politely slithered into the air duct system before he looked at his phone. "Let's take her down. We've got the man power."

"We don't know why she's here yet," Parker stated in disappointment, "but she's on my list!"

"I knew I should have looked into that car explosion more when I had the chance," Hardison stated at the news. "Come on, we've got to regroup before she realizes how many of us there are."

"How did she survive that car explosion?" Parker demanded angrily as the mastermind immediately put the car in drive and started towards their hideout.

"I don't know," Hardison admitted sadly, "but we're going to make sure she stays dead this time around, Mama!"

"Woa," Damien gasped at the mastermind's statement, "We're killing people now?"

"We're not killing anyone!" Ashley replied to her brother's statement immediately, "Right Alec?"

"You're not," Parker stated as she shared a conspiratorial look with the mastermind, "We are!"

%

"We don't kill people!" Craig shouted at the pair in shock, "If you guys kill then everybody is going to think we all kill!"

"And we don't need that kind of attention!" Ashley finished for her boyfriend immediately.

"We're not going to draw any attention," Parker rolled her eyes at the dramatic hitter as she politely poured herself a bowl of cereal. "Alec and I know how to do subtle."

"Um," Craig stared at the grifter in disbelief, "You guys used to work for Nathan Ford. Subtle isn't exactly in your vocabulary."

"Can you trace any of our jobs back to us?" Alec demanded of the thief with disbelieving eyes.

"Nobody can," Damien explained without hesitation, "Most people believe you guys are ghost. Your reps are purely rumor based. There's no way anybody could prove anything."

"Even your supposed clients are a dead end on that train," Ashley sighed in disappointment.

The grifter and mastermind stared at the pair in confusion. There was no way on Earth they could have possibly known that at the drop of a hat.

"Oh," Ashley smiled guiltily when she noticed the confused faces, "We went on the hunt to find out information about your team back when we thought you guys were all dead."

"To be fair," Damien finished for his sister with a smirk, "We didn't think you were dead. We thought you guys were still running underground. That's how we heard the rest of the story actually."

"That and Craig told us on the plane ride over here," Ashley gestured towards the surrounding apartment to explain the here in the statement.

"Damien," Alec pointed towards the hacker in determination, "Find her. Ashley, Craig, do talk to your sources and see if you can get an inside man. I don't want a moment where Tara Cole is out of sight, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," The three saluted their boss as they hurriedly got to work.

%

"None of my sources are going to be any help to us," Craig plopped into his designated chair in disappointment. "They all repeat that It is dead and I should stop asking. Basically, they know she's alive and her backer has kept them all scared to the point of no return."

"No luck at my end either," Ashley reported barely even a second behind her beau, "I got asked to never return when I mentioned It's name. Somebody went through a lot of trouble to keep her affairs away from the underground."

"Any more good news?" Parker grumbled at the cold hard facts before them.

"Yeah," Craig sighed in frustration, "I went to get the file again while I was out. It was gone and it can't be coincidence because there was note informing me to tell Hardison to keep coming."

"Great," Alec snarled in disgust. "She's playing with us."

"Dudes, look at this," Damien smiled as he pulled up the footage from their newest target, "She's at a park!"

"Why is she at a park?" Ashley demanded with a crinkled nose in confusion.

"Maybe she's scouting for something," Craig shrugged in response.

"Like what?" Ashley barked at her boyfriend in shock, "She's at a park, Craig!"

"She has a kid with her," Alec noticed as he looked at the scene, "Zoom in closer, Damien! Let's figure out why It is at a park."

"Oh good," Parker hummed at the mastermind's statement, "So we're all calling her It now! That's good! I thought I was going crazy for a minute there!"

The three youngest members of the team just stared at the grifter in complete shock of what she said. There was absolutely nothing else for them to do in a situation such as that.

"D-man!" Alec yelled at the hacker angrily, "Zoom in! We need to figure out her angle!"

"If she's resorted to kidnapping I can't be held accountable for my actions, Alec!" Parker announced to the ex-hacker with nothing but pure honesty on her tongue.

"Okay, clearing up the image now," Damien reported as he began typing on his keypad again, "It's hard to get a handle on which kid is hers."

"Go back to when the car first gets there and enhance the images from that," Alec ordered sternly as his and his grifter's eyes became glued to the screen.

"Alright," Damien sighed as he began typing quickly all around the room, "Just a few more seconds forward… Oops, two seconds back! Enhance! And here is what the kid looks like!"

"Oh," Ashley sighed as she stared at the tiny image of the child coming from the back of their mark's car, "She's a brunette! The father's a brunette, we can use that!"

"Can we get a closer image than that?" Craig demanded as he tried to get more information from the tiny image of the tiny person.

"Parker!" Alec gasped as he reached out and took the grifter's hand in his own.

"It can't be," Parker concluded as she squeezed the mastermind's hand tightly, "Enhance the image more, Damien!"

The hacker did as instructed and everybody stared at the image in dismay. The tiny person coming out of the back of the traitor's car was a marvel to behold. She had dark brown hair that went down to her shoulders in wispy curls of perfection. She had cheekbones and other facial features that were hauntingly familiar to the two leaders of the crew. The young girl had bright blue eyes that every member of the team recognized as belonging to the man who lived in the upstairs portion of the apartment they were in.

"Is that…?" Damien questioned with wide eyes as he zoomed in closer to observe the scene of the pair.

"Sophie?" Alec and Parker gasped in surprised unison of the small figure they were staring at on the screen.

"Sophie?" Ashley demanded at the mastermind and grifter's comment.

"Alec," Parker cried out at the news they were witnessing, "that's…"

"Nate and Sophie's daughter," Alec finished for the blonde with wide eyes.

"Wait a minute," Craig gasped at the two's statement, "Are you saying that Nathan Ford and Sophie Devereaux had a daughter?"

"No way," Ashley snorted as she scrutinized the picture of the young child with more enthusiasm than before.

"Sophie told Nate she was pregnant," Alec remembered with shock covering his face.

"What does that mean?" Damien demanded of the pair in complete confusion by the way they were acting.

"We always thought she lost it because of all the drugs," Parker groaned at the news.

"You mean you didn't know she was pregnant even though she told you she was?" Damien grumbled at the pair.

"She could have just dreamed it up because of the drugs," Alec explained to the blonde beside him in complete disbelief.

"We were wrong, Alec," Parker smiled at what this meant, "Sophie really was pregnant and she was trying to tell us!"

"Tara stole her baby," Alec whimpered at the knowledge, "It stole our grifter's baby!"

"But why?" Ashley demanded as she continued to follow the information with renewed interest, "Why would she betray you guys for a baby?"

"We can save Nate!" Parker realized at the news, "We can get our revenge and achieve the one thing Sophie always wanted! We can save Nate, Hardison!"

"We can avenge Sophie and Eliot," Alec nodded at the thief's thoughts, "We can finally kill the woman responsible for tearing our first family apart!"

"There's only one problem," Craig pointed out in interruption of the pair's fabulous plans, "They know we're coming! They know how you think, Alec, and they're going to recognize Parker a mile away! We can't defeat them in those kinds of conditions!"

"Craig's right," Ashley nodded at the thief's assessment, "Even if I get close enough to break Tara Cole's neck I still can't steal that kid in broad daylight! I'm sorry, Alec! We can't do it!"

"I can change the DNA test results and forge the documents to make it look like you guys are the girl's rightful parents but by the time the court system gets involved they'll be long gone," Damien stammered in sadness of the news that they were finally failing their mastermind.

"There's one mind they won't expect coming," Parker arched a brow at the very idea.

"No, Parker," Alec shook his head at the grifter's thinking process, "You know we can't!"

"Come on," Parker begged the mastermind with vigor, "Who better to command our revenge?"

"Parker, we can't," Alec explained with painful gasps of air, "You said it yourself. He's practically living just to breathe air."

"Are they suggesting who I think they're suggesting?" Craig demanded of the other members of their team in confusion.

"No way, man," Damien laughed at the news, "They wouldn't dare bring in the legend for this! He's too broken! They can't!"

"Oh my god, they are!" Ashley hissed as she realized exactly where their leaders' conversation was going.

"Hardison," Parker hissed with a twinkle finally shining in her eyes that had been missing for far too long, "You know this is right! Nate's the only one who can get us our revenge!"

"Yeah," Alec reluctantly agreed with his grifter's statement, "But it's going to be impossible to bring him in on this!"

"It's Nate," Parker quipped back with a winning smile, "He only does the impossible!"


	9. What's Left of Nathan Ford

**A/N: **_Ooh, things are about to get interesting._

_%_

Alec stared at the door in horror. He didn't know what to do. It had been so long since he saw the man behind it that everything else seemed too small in comparison. This was a bad plan, a very bad plan.

"It's okay," Parker encouraged with her hand comfortable on his shoulder as always. "It's Nate."

"It's not Nate," Alec shook his head in doubt that he could do this. "Nate's gone. He left us when he figured out what happened to Sophie."

"Alec," Parker addressed the ex-hacker with firm focus pulling on her features, "It's Nate. He won't hurt you. The only thing bad that could happen is that he won't respond. Besides, it will be good for him to see you. He misses you."

"He probably doesn't even know I'm gone," Alec grumbled at the thought.

"He knows," Parker explained with sorrow marring her features for only a moment. "Well, good luck."

"Parker," Alec caught the ex-thief's hand before she could successfully get away, "What if it doesn't work? What if he doesn't wake up? What if I fail?"

"Then we'll go with Plan B," Parker responded gently as she took gentle care in fixing his collar, "Or Plan F or G or whatever part of the alphabet we're on now. That's all. There's no harm in trying… Hardison."

"Thanks," Alec grinned foolishly at the grifter's statement.

"Just," Parker stopped him before he could even think about turning the handle, "If you do fail. Not M! Definitely not M!"

"Deal," Alec nodded with a nervous smile as he opened the door.

Hardison entered the room as quietly as possible. He noticed the mastermind was still glued to his usual spot in the middle of his bed with the usual blank look still on his face. The former mastermind's eyes were still glazed over the same way they were when the former hacker first left the older man behind all those years ago. The only sign that the man in the bed had moved at all was the change of clothes he was wearing and the familiar perfume bottle sitting on the bedside table was nearly empty from obvious use. The new mastermind gently sat down on the bed beside his mentor and tried not to be discouraged by the former's lack of movement.

"Hey, Nate," Hardison sighed when he finally got up the courage to actually speak with the man who made him the man he was today, "How's it going?"

The former hacker only got silence as his response but that was expected considering the circumstances and everything.

"I know I haven't visited you for a while," Hardison explained as he felt guilt and shame for the way he left his mentor so abruptly, "but I've been busy!"

Silence still reigned supreme despite the black man's best efforts to the contrary.

"Okay," Hardison continued as his nerves began to make themselves known, "So I haven't exactly been busy. I left you. I'm sorry… I just… couldn't handle it! First, Sophie and her… then there was Eliot and his suicide that I really did not see coming from a mile away! Parker left me but I didn't realize why until after… It was Tara, Nate. I know you already knew that, but I didn't. I didn't know! I couldn't figure it out… I didn't want to. Tara killed Sophie, Nate! Tara was her best friend and the only person she trusted to take care of us and she killed her! She killed…!"

The new mastermind paused as he fought his long buried emotions at the devastating truth he should have known all those years ago. He had to fight his trembling lip and keep himself in check from the way everything was going about him. The former hacker turned his attention towards the man who had once been his mentor and leader. The blue eyed man who had once fought so hard for those who had been wronged was nothing of his former self now. He just continued to sit on his bed without a care in the world and no sign of recognizing anything that was going on around him.

"I'm sorry, Nate," Hardison apologized as he continued to keep his rage in check and decided to look at his mentor for once, "I should have known. I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I'm sorry for not protecting her the way I should have. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! But you have to remember; I lost her too! She was my grifter too, Nate! I loved her too!"

The former mastermind made no move to show he heard a single word from his best student. He only continued to stare off into space, trapped within his own little world.

"We can avenge her, Nate," Hardison explained when he realized there were cold spots on his cheeks from tears he didn't even know he was crying, "We can take that woman down for what she did to us… for what she did to her! We can make her pay for what she did to our Sophie, our grifter."

The former hacker turned mastermind nearly leapt with joy because he thought he saw the slightest flicker of recognition in the former mastermind's eyes.

"We found her, Nate!" Hardison exclaimed with excitement at that hint of a sparkle, "My team found her, and we can take her down! We have the opportunity to finally end our suffering! We can finally take Tara Cole down!"

The former mastermind made no sign that he was listening but the former hacker knew he was. It was the one thing that still united the two of them even after all these years; their revenge for Sophie.

"But we can't do that without you," Hardison finished with a great sigh of hope in his voice, "I have three of the best thieves in the world. I have Parker, the best thief in the world! But we can't do it without you! We need you, Nate."

Silence; the former hacker's reply was still nothing more than a deep, echoing silence.

"Please, Nate," Hardison begged of his mentor in desperation, "You have to help us! It's the only way we can avenge Sophie! You owe us! You owe Eliot! You owe her! You owe Parker and me this chance to get back at the woman who destroyed and betrayed us! Please… Do this for her."

The former mastermind showed no sign of life at the former hacker's last words. The truth of Nathan Ford had finally been revealed. He really was nothing more than a cadaver of a great man who could be no more.

"Fine," Hardison bowed his head in defeat as he slowly got up and retreated towards the door, "I understand, Nate."

"Why?" a cracked voice demanded out with a hollow bitterness to it that carried way too much weight.

"Why what?" Hardison questioned the voice back on impulse alone.

Nate Ford continued to stare into space without any sign of hearing but his lips moved enough to ask out, "Why do you need me?"

"Because you're Nathan Ford," Hardison explained with a hopeful smile threatening to grow on his lips, "and Parker and I need our mastermind back."

"Why?" Nate demanded again as he continued to stare off into space without any signs of stopping.

"What do you mean?" Hardison tilted his head as he tried to understand his mentor's logic.

"Why now?" Nate demanded back blankly.

"She was pregnant," Hardison repeated his favorite grifter's last words in an instant.

Nate's eyes finally turned towards the man before him with a steady glare of recognition at his words, "What?"

"Sophie was pregnant," Hardison explained with excitement at the way his mentor was reacting to him, "Those were her last words, remember?"

The mastermind showed no sign of recognition this time. He fixed his eyes back on his favorite spot on the wall and stared off into space again in reply.

"She was pregnant, Nate," Hardison hissed out in hopes of giving his father figure the only shred of hope he could, "We always assumed the baby died because of the drugs…"

"Alec!" Nate snapped at the former hacker with such force it sent the younger man back towards the door out of fear for his life.

"The baby didn't die," Hardison stressed when he finally caught the familiar glare he had missed so much. "She's alive, Nate!"

"Sh-shh-She?" Nate asked as his face slowly began to show emotion again after six years of showing nothing but numbness.

"She," Hardison confirmed with a thrilled nod, "Your daughter is alive!"

"My…" Nate stammered as his brain fought to remember the meaning of the words of his former pupil, "My daughter?"

"Sophie had a daughter," Hardison stressed for his mentor with a steady smile showing on his face, "your daughter, Nate! They stole your daughter."

"Sophie had…" Nate frowned as the words started penetrating through the thick fog six years of grief had caused, "They stole my daughter? Sophie had a girl?"

"Yes, Nate," Parker chirped as she entered the room with a sad smile, "Sophie had a little girl!"

"And Tara stole her," Hardison smiled in triumph of who was about to return to them at last.

"That bitch!" Nate shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Umm," Hardison frowned in confusion of what to do next.

"Okay," Parker shrugged because she had no idea what to do.

"She killed my grifter and then took my daughter?" Nate demanded of his hacker and thief immediately with clear blue eyes directed their way.

"Yeah," Parker nodded in fear.

"Yep," Hardison agreed with wide eyes.

"I have a daughter!" Nate smiled at the news as he hopped out of bed for the first time in a little less than a decade, "What do you need me to do?"

"A plan would be nice," Parker commented with an excited smile and bright eyes.

"You saying your old line wouldn't hurt either," Hardison smiled at the mastermind's news.

"Let's go steal my daughter back!" Nate grinned devilishly as he immediately left the room.

"Um," Hardison commented at the anticlimactic event, "He just went into the bathroom."

"Yeah," Parker nodded at the assessment, "He needs to take a shower."

"I'm going to go… fill in the team," Hardison explained as he went downstairs to explain the good news to his troops.

**A/N II:** _Looks like Nate's back in the game! I wonder what surprises are waiting around the next corner!_


	10. Time For the Briefing

**A/N: **_Ooh, things are about to get interesting._

_%_

"So," Nate purred as he rubbed his hands together out of nervousness, "What have we got?"

"That's it?" Damien questioned with utter disappointment covering his face, "That's what we get for the big take off?"

"What were you expecting, a big musical number?" Ashley demanded of her brother in confusion.

"I don't know," Damien defended with a shy shrug, "I just wasn't expecting a simple rub of the hands and right down to business."

"Seriously?" Nate demanded of the new mastermind in complete confusion of what was going on.

"It's usually best to just ignore them until they catch on," Hardison shrugged in response.

"It is kind of disappointing though," Craig huffed sadly.

"What?" Parker stared at the thief in disbelief.

"It's Nathan Ford!" Craig pointed out defensively, "He's kind of considered a magician."

"Dude's the godfather of cons," Damien exclaimed proudly.

"It's not like he invented any of them," Hardison gasped as he stared at his crew as if they had three heads.

"That's not true," Nate stated stubbornly, "Why do you think the Devereaux Brigade was one of Sophie's favorites?"

"She didn't invent that?" Parker furrowed her brows in confusion, "I thought you were the one who invented the Ford Block?"

"No, that was Soph," Nate smiled at the thief's thoughts.

"You guys named your cons after each other?" Ashley stared at the old mastermind in complete shock.

"Well, they were created so we could stop each other," Nate sighed at the change in topic.

"This sucks," Craig growled out in misery.

"What's your problem?" Hardison demanded of his insubordinate angrily.

"We're working with Nathan Ford," Craig cringed at the cold fact, "The guy destroyed his own teammates just for revenge."

"Huh?" Parker tilted her head as she tried to comprehend the statement.

"Did I really?" Nate asked of the new mastermind curiously.

"Apparently," Hardison shrugged at the question, "That's the rumor running around the mill."

"I thought it was It," Parker stated with a smile towards the old mastermind, "That's the way I see it anyway."

"And her boss," Hardison agreed with the grifter immediately, "We can't forget the bastard responsible for knocking our feet out from under us! Whoever he is, he will pay."

"So you don't blame me then?" Nate questioned the pair with an unreadable expression.

"Nope," Parker shook her head at the very idea of it.

"We were blindsided," Hardison grinned at his mentor's thoughts, "We had absolutely no control over it. It wasn't you, man."

"Oh my god, he said man," Damien gasped at the information, "He's showing emotions again."

"So you're the hard-ass now?" Nate perked at the new development.

"You did tell me Karma was a bitch," Hardison returned the smile happily enough.

"So," Nate breathed in the familiar air of planning a con, "Hardison, run it!"

"Old times," Hardison grinned as he started to type away and show off his presentation, "Meet Tara Cole."

"A. K. A. It," Parker hissed pointedly.

A picture of the blonde traitor popped up on the six screens and twirled a bit before it found its place in the top left corner of the presentation. Nobody commented on the added devil horns and drawn mustache. Nate did raise an eyebrow at the red circle connected to the arrow that said super evil. Alec had to agree that it was pretty immature.

"This is our mark," Hardison reported with relish, "She's a grifter."

"Not a good grifter but she's not bad either," Parker commented simply.

"Focus, Parker," Nate ordered automatically as he glared daggers into the image on the screen.

"Anyway," Hardison replied as he switched channels to the best picture he had available to him, "This is the victim, Sophie Devereaux."

"Ford," Nate stated defiantly, "Sophie Devereaux-Ford. She was very specific about that in her will, remember?"

"No, not at all," Hardison smiled at his mentor's insistence.

The next picture to appear on the screen was that of their cherished grifter. The simple image was accompanied by a polite display of fireworks before it took its place on the two screens further right. Nate and Parker both smiled in pride at the fact that the picture overshadowed their enemy's quite a bit. Alec thought he should have done more to show off but he just didn't have the heart to do it. It was the only picture of Sophie he had that wasn't a mug-shot or taken before they were a team.

"She's so pretty," Parker stared at the picture with sadness on her features.

"Ford?" Craig stared at the mastermind in shock, "She went by Ford?"

"She insisted upon it when we read the will," Nate answered darkly at the thief who accused him of ending his family. "She was a romantic that way."

"Why you?" Craig demanded immediately, "Why were you so special? You're a bastard who likes to torture his targets until they bury themselves. Your drunken fits and unkempt rage made it into the stories of just how horrid a boss you were. You were ruthless. Why would she pick you?"

"I ask myself that every day," Nate responded gently as he took a moment to observe the thief with all the questions, "You were taught by Marcus Stark, weren't you?"

"We all have to learn somewhere," Craig nodded at the question.

"Explains a lot," Parker giggled towards the old mastermind, "doesn't it?"

"Stark was always jealous that Nate got Sophie instead of him," Hardison laughed at that. Nate was slowly turning purple out of embarrassment of the news.

"Moving on," Nate persuaded to avoid another topic change.

"Right," Hardison clicked another button and another familiar image appeared upon the screen. "And this is the indirect victim of Tara Cole…"

"It!" Parker corrected with a glare.

Hardison stared at her with a frazzled look on his face. He was not exactly sure what to do with that interruption. So, he merely shrugged. "Meet Eliot Spencer," he said, "the other victim of It."

And Eliot Spencer's image appeared in place on the two middle screens. The animation was a simple dissolve into their lives again. It was something the hitter would have been proud of if he had been there. It was also probably the only picture the new mastermind had that actually had him smiling. Everybody perked up in their chairs at the unusual display of teeth.

"Right," Nate stared at the image with guilt in his eyes. "Let's focus on the other details before we get too caught up in the past."

"Yeah," Hardison agreed with a quick tap on his computer. The three new thieves stared at the old mastermind in astonishment. They had never expected him to do that. They seemed to have expected him to take a time to make a comment on the subject. Apparently they had never heard about Nathan Ford's need to shut out anything of the emotional variety. They must not have figured out that was why he went into that vegetative state a few years ago.

"And here is what we are after," Hardison smiled proudly as the pixelated image of a mini-Sophie with blue eyes appeared on the screen. She was wearing a blue sundress with brown sandals. Her sunglasses were sitting on the top of her little head and her smile was of pure joy. It was a painful image to see.

The images of It and her victims vanished. The picture of Nate's daughter moved towards the top left hand corner and in their place popped up Capitol Industries and their CEO with a toupee. His coke bottle glasses and his big nose made him look like a clown that had been humanfied. He wore a purple sweater vest that did nothing for his blue eyes and his green collared undershirt looked like it had quite a few coffee stains for picture day.

"Capitol Industries," Parker listed off for the old mastermind's benefit more so than the others. "They're the current holders of Sophie's medical records."

"And they were the ones who uncovered Eliot's body a year later in that little hut in the Congo," Hardison added on, professional as ever.

"We think he's Tara's pocketman," Parker explained simply.

"What's his name?" Nate asked with a look of deep thought on his features. Everybody was staring at him except the two leaders. They were joining him in staring at the television screens. Well, he looked like he was staring at the television screens. His eyes were a bit blank.

"His name is Michael Crawford," Hardison explained with records and diplomas sliding on the screens. "He's got a master in business and a PHD in pharmaceuticals."

"You're thinking they're working for a druglord?" Craig asked because he could actually follow the fragmented conversation.

"Or an arm's dealer," Nate raised an eyebrow at the young thief's question. His blank stare looked like he might have been impressed. Nobody was quite sure what that meant.

"Skagway shuffle?" Parker asked.

"Mona Lisa variant?" Hardison suggested with a shrug.

"Actually I was thinking of something simpler," Nate replied. His eyes were trained on the picture of his little girl. There was absolutely no way on Earth that anybody was going to keep him away from her. It just wasn't possible.

"You want to run a simple blind?" Craig asked in confusion of the play.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a simple track and confrontation," Nate shrugged. It wasn't like his usual plans but it wasn't something to be expected either. How else were they going to sneak up on their mark?

"In that order?" Hardison nodded his head towards D-man. The hacker immediately lifted his fingers in preparation of the order.

"We need to know her partner," Nate remarked. He had now turned cold eyes on the woman that took his grifter away. There would be no mercy, that look insured it. "She doesn't exactly need to know I'm coming."

%

"I'm sorry," Eliot moaned in a drunken stupor as always. He was always drunk now. He had been drunk every day since they found Sophie. Hell, he was even drunk at her funeral and that had been six weeks ago.

"Eliot," Nate stubbornly greeted the no longer unusual sight with his same careful grimace. This time the mastermind was the sober one and the hitter was now the drunkard of the family. This had become a new routine shortly after the lovely discovery that Eliot was sleeping with Tara. That had been a pleasant fight.

"I said I'm sorry," Eliot slurred out in a tiny stumble towards the stairs while the mastermind just passed right on by. "I dinnit… I didn't know, Nate."

"I know, Eliot," Nate breathed out in irritation of this display. "Go get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Tara couldn't have killed Sophie!" Eliot mumbled out viciously. "I would have known. It wasn't Tara. It was my fault Sophie died! I should have protected her. It's my job ta protect ya, Nate. An I…"

"You did everything you could, Eliot," Nate explained as he tried to fight the nausea building up his stomach and chest. "It wasn't your fault."

"I'm sorry, Nate," Eliot nodded his head as if he were a kicked puppy.

"Go home, Eliot," Nate ordered when it looked like the hitter wasn't going to move.

"If I go, yull go ta a bar," Eliot stammered out intelligently.

"I've been sober since Sophie died," Nate stated gently towards his friend in despair of the odd truth between them. "I won't go to a bar."

"I can't believe Sophie had ta die ta get ya ta quit drinkin'!" Eliot shouted towards him in disdain of the dismissal. "I guess we woodda been better off if Chaos' bomb succeeded!"

"Get the Hell out of my house!" Nate screamed involuntarily at the little outburst. He still wasn't quite able to deal with discussing that. Even when Sophie was alive he couldn't discuss that. Besides the hitter was trying to goad him into a fight and he was not going to succeed again, dammit!

"I shoulda killed her when I had tha chance," Eliot continued in a new drunken fit, "When she conned us, ya know? I wassa gunna kill'er ana I wish I did! I shooda killed 'er like you killed Sam!"

"You're right!" Nate shouted at the man with cold fury pouring through his veins just like the day Blackpoole denied Sam's treatment, just like the day Parker nearly had her head beaten in, the very day Sophie was taken away. "You're damn right you should have killed her! Because then I could have had someone to blame for the loss! Then I would have never really gotten to know her! Then I would have never gotten so far inside her head that I didn't even know where my own thoughts began and hers ended! Then I would have never loved her!"

"Nate…" Eliot was starting to sober at the harsh words but the mastermind was going to have none of it.

"But I still would have felt the loss, Eliot!" Nate hammered into the hitter with everything he had. "I still would have mourned her and I probably would have killed you too! I met her the same year I met Sam! I had her the same year I had my son! She stole my heart the same year Sam did! You keep telling me how much you're sorry that you weren't there to save her! Who cares, Eliot? Who cares? She left me just like Sam did and it was because God decided to screw me over royally! There was no choice in the matter for either one of them! They were forced out of this world and unlike my son, I can't give her revenge! So excuse me if I don't have time for your crap tonight!"

The hitter stared at him blankly for a few seconds in thought. His baby blue eyes were finally clear of their usual haze and that was a triumph considering who did the sobering. "Nate…"

"Save it," Nate ordered as he fought to put a chain back on his temper. "You can stay here tonight. I'm going to get some air."

The hitter just nodded at the invitation and continued to stare at him in surprise. The mastermind grimaced a half-smile and headed for the door. He needed to get out of there before they ended up in another fight. He was getting too old for trading blows with a drunk Eliot Spencer. Their last fight ended up getting him a hospital visit. It was time to go.

"Nate…" Eliot choked out in a shaky breath the moment the mastermind's hand had managed to grasp onto the doorknob. The mastermind froze at the odd note in his hitter's voice. It was a note that had only been there a few times before. Every time it involved the same person still shattering his friend's life for the past wrongs he performed. Ice crawled up his spine as the inevitable happened.

"It was Moreau."

Nate snapped awake at the sharp memory intruding upon his mind. He had to think of something else and fast. That was the very same thinking that had forced him away before. He had to think of something else. He had to think about something happy. No, he needed to focus on the present. He couldn't afford to slip away again. There was too much at stake. He needed to focus on the job. He needed to focus on his daughter. Everything else could wait until…

"Will you marry me?"

The question had been dying to fall from his lips for the past three months since the idea popped into his head. The only reason he was able to keep it secret so long was because he refused to tell a sole about his plans. He even went as far as to keep the ring he bought in the safest place his team would never even think to look. It took him forever to figure out his small box of momentos of Sam was the only thing his teammates would never touch. It became the safe haven for the ring and its receipt. Hell, he even went through the trouble of paying for the thing in cash to make certain there would be no trail. Three months of waiting for the perfect moment to ask the most unbelievable question in history. And it was when she was lying on the end of the bed, staring at their united shadows, wearing his favorite shirt that he knew it was time to ask. The look on her face was priceless.

"Nate…?" Sophie gasped in surprise. She didn't know what to do with it. She just stared at the gorgeous diamond ring in disbelief. Her lips kept twisting in confusion and excitement with a hint of anger too. She just couldn't seem to decide what to do and the mastermind couldn't help but laugh at her little dilemma.

"You've stolen crown jewels from who knows how many monarchs and a simple gold ring with a diamond has you flustered beyond belief?" Nate laughed at her expression to help his nerves and it was just too funny.

"You're not supposed to laugh when you ask a girl to marry you!" Sophie tried to frown in exasperation, but she only achieved a cross between constipation and fear.

"When have we ever done anything orthodox?" Nate fired back with a grin still plastered on his face. He really wished she would hurry up and answer so he could kiss her.

"When have I ever answered a question you asked without another question?" Sophie fired back with a little more success at looking flabbergasted. Well, she at least looked angry.

"If you don't answer the question soon I'm gonna take the offer off the table," Nate huskily whispered into her ear.

"I'd steal it back before you even put the plan in motion," Sophie huffed back in hopes of goading him into a fight.

"Marry me, Sophie?" Nate begged with determination in his every breath. "And please note that I'm not going to stop asking until you say yes so…"

She kissed him. She slammed her lips against his and their teeth almost collided from the force of it. It was hard and full of tongue. It was something caught between pure exhilaration and bliss. It tasted like love.

Nate groaned as he pulled away for air so he could at least enjoy the happy glow in her dark chocolate eyes. He smiled, "I'm taking that as a yes." Sophie smiled back and was a little too impatient in trying to undress him before he even succeeded in getting the ring on her finger. When he succeeded his belt buckle was gone and his favorite shirt was on its way off her shoulders. It was the happiest day of his life in a long time.

"Nate!" Parker gently applied pressure to his shoulder with worry furrowing her brow. He had zoned out too long. "Is everything alright?"

"Memories," Nate coughed out in apology. "They have a way of catching up on me."

"Just don't disappear on us again," Hardison joked back woodenly. Parker just shared a knowing look with him and the truth accidentally spilt between them. Nate grimaced at that fact.

He had abandoned them when they needed him most. He wasn't going to do that anymore. He had a reason to stay. They were all that mattered now. His children because that's what they were. Parker, Hardison and whatever his daughter's name was, they were his kids. The best part, they were Sophie's children too. The only thing that would have made this entire plan better was if Eliot was cooking them a meal and bitching about their lack of eating real food. He really missed the hitter.

"I'm not leaving you again," Nate stared at them both with the most honest expression he could muster. He was determined to let them know his intentions. "I won't!"

"Promise?" Parker's voice was small at the prospect he was presenting her. There was almost too much hope sparkling in her eyes.

"Promise," Nate nodded in reply to the ex-thief. He raised his eyes to let Hardison know he was serious as well. He wouldn't abandon his kids anymore. He wasn't his father.

"Okay," Hardison smiled a real smile at that. "Are you sure you want to investigate the park while Parker and I question Crawford? We could easily switch if you want?"

"No," Nate shook his head at the offer, "In order for your plan to work I can't be seen by Crawford. Besides, the park probably isn't close by Its neighborhood. It's best if I go because none of her men will be able to identify me. I've been out of the game just long enough."

"Cool," Parker grinned at the offer, "I'll go prep the team for their part."

"They'll be your back-up in case anything goes wrong on your end," Hardison agreed with the new grifter, a geeky smile on his face. "We can't take the chance of something happening to you."

"You're going to go into enemy territory without back-up?" Nate grinned despite himself, "Isn't that a bit risky?"

"I learned from the best," Hardison shrugged. "It was the safest reply he could come up with.

"I need clothes," Nate observed in misery. The only thing that actually looked presentable in his closet had been the very suit he was wearing. Everything else in his closet had either been damaged or too old to even tell what it was anymore. The only reason his blue Italian suit was still in mint condition was because it was Sophie's favorite outfit. It survived his initial wrecking spree for that reason alone.

"Parker's got you covered," Damien explained with a wave. He was just passing from the living room to the kitchen and caught onto the conversation. He was a lot like Hardison in that aspect. The poor kid was in for a lot of teasing to come. Wait a minute…

"Parker goes shopping?"

%

"Hey, Parker," a familiar voice called out as she was gently coming through the door, "I brought those clothes you asked for…"

"Hey Maggie," Hardison smiled wide with fear shimmering in his eyes at being caught in the old apartment.

"Alec," Maggie smiled at the former hacker's appearance, "You're here."

"Yeah," Hardison agreed with a wider smile, "I'm here."

"You're planning a con, aren't you?" Maggie accused with narrowed eyes.

"I can explain," Hardison defended boldly before he realized how wrong that was.

"You were supposed to be taking the next two weeks off, remember?" Maggie shouted at the top of her lungs, "You were supposed to be taking a break, remember? Now you're bringing Parker in on your completely awful plan of avoiding pain? Dammit, Hardison!"

"Listen Maggie…" Hardison tried to reason with both hands in the air.

"No you listen!" Maggie demanded of the new mastermind slowly, "I know it hurts that Sophie and Eliot aren't here anymore! I understand that you can't stomach the fact that Nate disappeared into his own head to escape it! I get it, Alec, but you need to understand that running away from your problems is only going to end with…"

"Maggie?" Nate sighed in surprise as he stared at his ex-wife in wonder. He was on the staircase staring down at his ex-wife in disbelief. Maggie's eyes grew wide at the man on the stairs.

"Nate?" Maggie gasped at the sight of her ex-husband standing and talking, "You're…"

"I'm awake," Nate smiled at his ex-wife's surprise, "Shocking, huh?"

"Come here," Maggie ordered as she met the man in the middle and gave him the biggest teary-eyed hug she was capable of.

"I'm sorry," Nate cried into her hair as he returned the hug as fiercely as possible, "I'm so sorry."

"You're back," Maggie choked out as she held the man and cried some more.

"They…" Nate cringed at the thought in his mind, "Well, I had to get up for revenge."

"Revenge?" Maggie pulled out of the embrace to figure out what was going on.

"We found It," Hardison replied with a vicious tone.

"Tara?" Maggie growled the name out with pure hatred on her lips, "You found her?"

"Oh yeah," Hardison smiled a crooked smile at the shared hatred.

"And we're going to take her down once and for all," Nate announced sadistically at the taste of those words on his tongue.

"Shouldn't you wait until you've had more time to recover?" Maggie demanded though the look on her face showed she was just as invested in vengeance as they were.

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you," Nate admitted softly, "but these circumstances require quick action."

"What circumstances?" Maggie questioned with concern as she noticed the poisonous look of hope in her friends' eyes.

"She had a kid, Maggie," Parker reported from the door.

"Tara?" Maggie quirked an eyebrow at the very statement.

"Sophie," Nate breathed out in worship of the very meaning that possessed.

"Sophie?" Maggie stared at her ex-husband with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Hardison grinned foolishly at the exciting news, "Sophie had a little girl."

"A girl?" Maggie cried out as happy tears started tickling her eyes again.

"My girl," Nate cheered with a tiny sniffle.

"Do you have a picture?" Maggie asked in wonder of the possibilities.

"Coming right up," Hardison replied as his mentor helped escort her to a chair.

"Nate likes to look at it a lot," Parker commented in a watery voice.

"She's beautiful," Maggie cried out as the image graced her with its presence, "She looks just like her mother in miniature except she has your eyes, Nate."

"I know," Nate nodded along with a careful smile as he gazed upon the image in wonder, "She's amazing, isn't she?"

"You have to get her out of there now," Maggie decided firmly, "It might take her some time to adjust to reality but…"

"She's Sophie's daughter," Parker stated firmly.

"She'll adjust quickly," Hardison agreed aloud.

"After this you need to lay low," Maggie declared with new understanding.

"You have to stay away for a while," Nate ordered firmly, "We don't want you getting hurt because we stole back my kid!"

"Visit me as soon as possible," Maggie nodded at the order with a smile before she directed her attention at her ex-husband, "and don't you dare die!"

"You got it," Nate agreed immediately.

"It's good to see you again, Nate," Maggie hugged the former mastermind close in praise of the fortune they were given.

"You too," Nate acknowledged proudly, "Have cookies and milk ready when I bring your Goddaughter to visit."

"Bribery will get you nowhere," Maggie scowled playfully at the order before she said her good-byes to the others, "There are some clothes you might find useful in the shopping bags, Nate."

"Of course," Nate smirked as he stared at the bags in wonder.

"She knows your size," Parker explained immediately, "I could never remember it and I was insistent that you had to have new suits every year around… I paid for them!"

"Thank you, Parker," Nate smiled at his former thief's words, "Now, let's go get the bad guys."

**A/N II:** _That's right! I gave you two briefings in one and the other bad guy! Yeah, you're welcome!_


	11. Playgrounds and Flashbacks

Parker and Hardison politely made their way through the doors of Capitol Industries with one thought in mind. They were going to find It.

On the other side of town…

Nathan Ford was kindly sitting on a bench at a nearby playground, the very same one It had visited before. He was observing the kids with close scrutiny in the hopes that one of them would be his own daughter.

Damien, Ashley and Craig all sat in the mastermind's car a safe distance away from their charge. They each sat waiting for any sign of trouble. They would be ready if their boss' mentor needed them for anything.

Both sets of teams were aware of a pair of eyes on them. They each knew someone was watching them and they were prepared for the inevitable. It was show time.

%

"We're here to see Michael Crawford," Hardison drawled. His voice was the perfect combination of arrogant southern diplomat and impatient city businessman. It had taken him a year to master the perfection of the character.

"Our appointment's at nine," Parker shrugged. She blew a pink bubble from her mouth and popped it with her teeth. She was playing the rich trophy wife again. It was their best combo grift.

"Mr. and Mrs. Saunders of... Buffalo tech?" the assistant jumped into action at the name and immediately grabbed her phone, "I'll buzz you right in. Mr. Crawford's been expecting you."

Hardison and Parker smiled as if they were annoyed at waiting two whole seconds. Then they both proceeded to collect their guest passes and followed their escort to the office. The escort smiled at them as they marched into the office room. The door slammed shut but that didn't really matter. Leaning against the desk with long blonde hair and a checkered jacket was the absolute worst human being in the world.

"Hi guys," Tara smiled at her very disgruntled and surprised audience.

%

Damien watched the security cameras around the playground as carefully as possible. Craig and Ashley were both positioned in spots within the car where they would be able to see in the cameras blind spots. The thief gave a low whistle and the hacker immediately switched to the cameras at the left of the playground area.

A silver car matching the exact description of the mark's pulled up towards the playground. The hacker immediately set to work comparing the license plate to the one he saw before. It was a perfect match. Their mark was here.

"It's Cole's car," Damien whispered into the comms. He still wasn't sure exactly how to talk to the older mastermind. He obviously thought quietly was the best answer.

"We're calling her It, you idiot," Ashley slapped her brother on the back of the head, "And you don't need to whisper. He is perfectly capable of hearing you."

"Ashley, be nice," Nate ordered. He quickly grabbed himself a newspaper and moved himself into an inconspicuous location.

"They're getting out of the car now," Craig informed them.

It was true. A woman with light brown hair who looked to be about twenty-two, twenty-five at the most, was walking out of the car and heading towards the back. The woman gently opened the door and helped her passenger out of the car. The passenger had tiny brown curls and olive skin. She wore a bright smile that looked exactly like her mother's but she had her father's cerulean blue eyes. It was the target and her babysitter coming to the park to play.

"Mr. Ford sir, please stay where you are and do not go after the kid," Damien begged into the comms. He was frantically working to identify the babysitter until his words caught up with him. "I meant your kid. Please don't go after your kid. They'll think you're a pedophile and then we're going to have a really big mess to clean up. Alec will be pissed."

"I'm fine just watching her for right now," Nate rolled his eyes at the hacker's comments. He really had hoped there was only one Hardison in the world. "I've got a man trying desperately to decide if he wants to talk to me. I won't put my daughter in danger. Besides, I want to see her play."

%

Alec and Parker glared at their enemy with daggers. That was really all they could do. It had them tied up the moment they entered the room. Well, they were handcuffed to the chair. Well, Alec was anyway. Parker was tied with a sailor's knot to give the other blonde in the room time to talk. They really hated her for it.

"So I see you got my message," Tara huffed towards the pair as if this kind of thing happened all the time. In her world it did. Heck, in their world it did. Bored was an expected emotion in the current situation.

"I see you decided to show your ugly face in public again," Hardison growled. What else could he do? He was handcuffed to a chair and waiting for Parker to finish with her knots. They had some time to kill.

Tara looked genuinely hurt by the jibe. That was unusual given the fact that she destroyed everything they once were. Hell, she even had a couple of tears shimmering in her eyes. The damn grifter was trying for the sympathy card. Oh, she would pay.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Nate but…"

"You don't get to apologize about any of them!" Parker snapped towards the other grifter with absolute death in her eyes. She wasn't even bothering with the knots anymore. She was determined to kill the other woman with her eyes alone. "You killed them! You don't get to feel sorry! You lost that chance when you killed Sophie!"

"I warned you already about coming after me," Tara growled towards the new grifter. She looked angry and hurt now. She had no right to be angry or hurt by the former thief's words. She had no reason to even be alive, really. "This is your last one. Don't both coming after the girl. Forget she ever existed. Find somewhere as far away from her as possible. My boss will kill you if you don't."

"You're pretending to protect us?" Hardison laughed at that. He couldn't help it. His grief and rage were making him a little bit nuts. It came with the territory of being a mastermind. "You killed Sophie and made Eliot commit suicide!"

"I did not make Eliot commit suicide!" Tara snapped towards the hacker. There was true hatred in her glare. She was rivaling Parker with that glare.

"You betrayed us," Parker quipped back. Her voice was cool and she knew she was winning. "Of course you made him die."

Tara bowed her head in defeat and breathed deeply for her troubles. She swallowed hard and lifted her head. There were two tears falling down her cheeks. She had no right to cry for what she did to them. "I'm only going to offer you this once so please take it or I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"Like what?" Parker demanded on impulse alone.

"Like having you arrested the moment I leave the room."

Alec and Parker took a moment to soak the information in. Parker was starting to succeed at her knots. Hardison was still cuffed to the chair. Tara was already on her way to the door. The pair shared a look and immediately nodded in agreement. They answered their villain in tandem.

"Bring it on!"

%

Nate was very busy trying to find a safe way out of his little situation when a man came to sit down beside him. The man was fidgeting quite a bit and gave off nervous energy. He had black curly hair that looked like an afro the way it wrapped around his head. He had a moustache on his lips that connected to a small, trimmed beard encircling the mouth with hair. His skin was tan and he wore a long reddish-brown jacket. His eyes were covered with sunglasses and he wore a pair of black penny loafers that looked like they were at least three years old. There were patches on the coat that looked like they had once belonged to some other form of t-shirted clothing. To the untrained eye the man would appear to be a regular homeless man at the park. To the thief trained eye, he was just another con like them only not as wealthy.

Nate silently checked the man over to see if he was packing. His radar for danger wasn't exactly going off but he'd basically been in a self-imposed coma for the past six years. He was probably a little rusty. Of course, there was something about the way the man was trying to keep him out of Its sight that really made the former mastermind take pause.

"Are you Nathan Ford?" the man asked in desperation.

Nate nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak just yet.

"Come with me," the man explained as he looked in the direction of the mark with fear in his eyes, "She must not see you and I have something important to tell you about your daughter."

"Lead the way," the former mastermind ordered as he followed the man into a nearby building.

"My name will be Jones for this conversation," the man explained as he led the mastermind into the house.

"Okay," Nate said. He immediately snapped into action and kicked the door closed. He then punched the guy in the back of the head to make him dizzy. The mastermind calmly pulled the man to his feet and slammed him into the wall. "Now, how did you know I was Nathan Ford?"

"She told me about you," Jones explained with quaking hands, "She said you would come looking for your child."

"Who?" Nate demanded angrily, "Who sent you?"

"Sophie Devereaux," Jones stated with a sad smile.

"She's dead!" Nate hollered. He slammed the man against the wall for the painful reminder. He was satisfied to hear the other man cower at his actions.

"I know," Jones nodded sadly at the news, "I was too late. She needed far more than I was able to give. I regret that."

"Who are you?" Nate questioned the man in a vicious growl.

"I told you," Jones explained in sympathy, "I am the man who was sent by the woman you loved to help save your daughter!"

"Prove it!" Nate hissed as he threw the man into the hallway in invitation.

"She told me you were once the white knight but became the black king," Jones began slowly as he reached into his front pocket, "And she told me you gave her this."

"The necklace I bought her for Christmas after my stint in prison," Nate acknowledged as he stared at the lettering in awe, "How did you get that?"

"She was wearing it the day they took her," Jones explained sadly, "She hid it from them and gave it to me with the orders I am about to tell you."

"That still doesn't prove I can trust you," Nate pointed out boldly as he looked around for the hidden man.

"No," Jones agreed with a smile, "but this might! You took Damien Moreau down in San Lorenzo."

"Anybody who knows our history could tell you that!" Nate spat at the man in anger, "Strike two!"

"You spoke her name in San Lorenzo," Jones stated after a moment of thought, "Her real name, Mr. Ford! Eliot stole her mail. Hardison pronounced you man and wife. Parker stole Christmas. You gave her San Lorenzo."

"You have my attention," Nate admitted as he swallowed down the tears at the memories the grifter had given him.

"Come sit in my parlor," Jones ordered as he directed the mastermind towards a chair.

"Talk," Nate ordered when he finally sat down.

%

Parker and Hardison were sitting in their least favorite place ever. They were sitting in a jail cell. Well, Alec was sitting in a jail cell. Parker was working out how to get him out because, naturally, Parker doesn't get caught, unless it's Sterling. So Alec was twiddling his fingers in a jail cell while Parker debated the pros and cons of performing a short con.

"Nah!" Parker hissed, "I'll just do it the old fashioned way."

The former thief immediately entered the police station through the roomy air ducts that were in dire need of a cleaning. She wheezed and huffed her way through the dust and the grime until she was certain she was over the jail cells. Parker carefully removed the cover over Alec's bed and blinked. A man who did not fit Alec's description at all was there instead of Alec himself. He was there only a second ago and then he was replaced by a short, smelly, white guy with a lot of facial hair. That could mean only one thing. He was now in the front about to be questioned. Parker growled at the hairy man who obviously wanted help getting out and covered the duct. Apparently she was going to have to just do it the easy way.

%

"Oh man!" Damien paced around the car in frustration, "He's going to kill me! Alec is going to kill me til I'm dead!"

"Calm down," Ashley rolled her eyes, "He's only been gone for five minutes."

"You can cover a lot of ground in five minutes, babe," Craig pointed out softly. He was just now returning from his voyage into the playground. He held out his left hand and revealed the absolute worst thing in the world, Nathan Ford's earbud.

"I knew it! I'm a dead man!" Damien continued to mutter and moan about his demise at the mastermind's hands. Ashley and Craig ignored him.

"He did that on purpose probably," Ashley huffed. She was scanning the area to figure out just how far their charge could have gone. Leave it to them to lose an old con in a playground full of kids.

"We're gonna wait," Craig decided. He had a feeling that was the right thing to do. "He'll show up when he's ready."

"Then I'm gonna kill him!" Damien agreed. His gaze was fierce and his hair was disheveled. Yep, he had officially lost his sanity.

%

Parker walked into the police station in a micro-mini skirt and a belly button tube top. Her outfit was baby blue and her hair was in a red wig. She even wore black glasses to make certain every eye would be on her. The police officers stared and she internally grinned.

"I heard my husband's in jail and I would like to post bail please!" Parker popped some gum and grin towards the closest officer. She winked at his friend and bit into her gum aggressively.

"Name," the guy at the desk asked. He wasn't looking up and seemed to be the only person immune to her charms. Parker looked down at his hand and noticed a wedding ring. The guy was whipped and hated his job, end of story. The grifter pouted her lips out in sadness for him and immediately said the first name that came to mind.

"Finnick O'Hare."

The officer at the desk looked over at his computer and typed in the name. Alec's picture showed up on the screen.

(Parker gave Alec a camera phone before she left him there. He had taken a picture and waited for the name. Her picked it up on the earbuds and immediately went into action. The licenses were printing right beside the former thief immediately.)

"Alright," the officer sighed. He was apparently unhappy about the fact that it was an easy bail. "That'll be one hundred thousand, please."

"Do you accept Credit?" Parker questioned with a slight crinkle to her nose. The officer was sadly unaffected but nodded his head. He picked up the credit card swipe and handed it to her. She swiped and he printed off the receipts. She signed with the first name she could think of.

"Johanna Mason," the officer read off. He filled out the official paper work and waved towards one of his buddies.

Alec was brought towards them with a plastic bag of his things. He smiled apologetically at Parker and stood by her side.

"No more harassing your boss, you!" The officer didn't even have the enthusiasm to wave his finger properly. He just gave them the forms and they immediately filled them out. He stamped them and smiled. "Have a nice day."

The pair grinned and left out the door. Their grins immediately fell into disgruntled frowns. Parker handed Alec the keys and he immediately sat in the driver's seat. They drove away like maniacs and refused to slow down. Their plates would only come up as belonging to somebody else.

"I wonder if Nate's having better luck than we are," Parker growled. Hardison just nodded his head and hugged her tight. He pressed a number on his phone and the grifter's money was immediately returned to her account with interest.

%

"She had been in labor for hours before we realized it," Jones explained with sadness, "She didn't make a sound or anything to even hint that she was experiencing labor pains. It was just a small gasp of pain she couldn't suppress no matter how hard she tried that even made us aware of the situation! One of the men complained about the fact that there was water all over the floor and he almost slipped in it and we all knew. Oh boy did we know!"

"Ahh!" Sophie screamed at the top of her lungs in anguish of what she was doing.

"Push," the doctor ordered sternly as several of Moreau's men held the grifter down to keep her from escape.

"No!" Sophie shouted back as she tried to fight her body's natural pull to do just that.

"You have to," Jones explained with sympathy, "You'll die if you don't!"

"They'll take her…" Sophie whimpered as she continued to fight to keep her daughter.

"What the hell's taking so long?" Moreau demanded of the doctor in anger, "The kid should have popped out by now!"

"She's holding back," Tara observed as she stared at the woman in disgust, "She knows what's coming next!"

"Dammit push!" Moreau ordered the grifter sternly.

"Or what," Sophie demanded of her enemy with a sick laugh, "You'll kill me?"

"You have to push," Jones ordered the grifter softly as he held her down as gently as possible, "You'll die."

"They're not getting my… baby," Sophie breathed out as she tried to ignore the contractions.

"You can either push and watch your child being taken away from you," Jones posed for the grifter urgently, "or you can keep doing what you're doing and kill her! Which would you prefer?"

"Ahh!" Sophie screamed as she pushed with all of her might.

The room was filled with the grifter's screams and the men's constant disgust of everything that was taking place. It wasn't until the screams of the mother were successfully clouded by the cries of the child that everybody was able to start calming down.

"Good job," Jones praised the grifter as best he could, "She's a beautiful, healthy baby girl!"

"Here she is," the doctor stated as the guard whispered into the grifter's ear.

"Her name's Parker!" Sophie shouted for all to hear, "My baby's name is Parker!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tara waved the grifter off with her hand, "Parker Elizabeth… whatever our last name ends up being. The broad made certain we had to name her Parker."

"Great," Moreau smiled at his victory, "Pack up. We've got to get out of here. Eliot is bound to figure out where we on and as soon as he does we need to be out of here."

"Are you actually afraid of Eliot Spencer?" Tara actually looked smug at the idea. Jones tried to ignore the way his boss bristled at the statement.

"I don't want him or Ford ruining my plan," Moreau sneered towards his accomplice. "We both know what will happen if he catches us so close to victory."

"Please," Sophie begged of the woman with wide, tired eyes, "Let me see my daughter."

"She's not your daughter anymore," Tara explained as she held the child tightly in her arms.

"Please," Sophie cried out in torment, "Just let me see her! Let me see my baby!"

"Please sir," Jones spoke up. He was surprised by his own boldness and he wasn't the only one. Moreau was staring at him as if he were about to flick a bug off his shoe. Jones continued anyway. "Let her see the kid. It's the last time she will ever get to hold her baby."

Tara was about to argue the idea but Moreau quickly raised a hand. He picked up his bags and started packing the medical supplies they would need.

"Let her see the child," he agreed, "They're going to pick up our trail soon. The least we could do is show them we weren't barbaric!"

"Fine," Tara huffed as she turned the baby towards her mother in a way that would allow the grifter to see her daughter, "There! Look at the kid you gave birth to."

"My Parker," Sophie smiled at the gorgeous bundle in her enemy's arms, "She has his eyes!"

"She's a baby," Tara snapped at the woman as she pulled the bundle out of sight again, "All newborns have blue eyes."

"No," Sophie shook her head as she watched the other grifter holding her daughter, "She has her father's eyes. She has Nate's eyes!"

"Time to go," Moreau ordered the other woman as he stared at the pink bundle with a victorious grin, "She looks just like her mother, all the better! Stage three is now underway. Let's get out of here."

"What about the mother?" Jones demanded in confusion.

"Keep her heavily drugged," Moreau ordered viciously, "Don't kill her! I want them to know she suffered. Feed her if you feel the need. Other than that do what you will. She's of no use to me now. I got what I needed from her."

"But…" Jones began to argue.

"Do as he says!" Tara ordered violently as she took the bundle and left with their boss.

"No!" Sophie screamed as she started fighting off the men trying to overpower her, "Tara, give me my baby! I want my baby! Give me my baby!"

"Calm down," Jones ordered as he placed both of his arms on the grifter's shoulders to keep her safe, "You're only going to hurt yourself more!"

"I need my baby!" Sophie growled at the man as she struggled against him.

"Rest now," Jones ordered in a panic, "You have to get better if you expect to ever see your daughter again."

"Don't lie to me!" Sophie hissed at the man with venom, "I'm never going to see my daughter again because men like you refuse to stand up to unjust orders!"

"I'm sorry," Jones apologized as he watched the drugs pour into the poor woman's veins, "They'll kill my family."

"Then you better get out of here," Sophie ordered as the drugs started to take effect, "because that child is the daughter of Nathan Ford! He's not going to take too kindly to anybody who took her away from me."

"Nathan Ford?" Jones questioned with fear as the other men in the room looked around in complete bewilderment, "That's Nathan Ford's kid?"

"Oh yes," Sophie spouted out as the drugs started to pull her towards unconsciousness, "and he's bringing Eliot Spencer with him!"

"I heard he has Parker on his team," one of the men shouted out with wide eyes.

"He does," said another, "And Alec Hardison too!"

"He's got the greatest team of thieves that ever lived," another one of the men commented as he backed away from the door and stared at the grifter with understanding eyes, "Including Sophie Devereaux as his grifter."

"And the mother of his child," Sophie grinned as the rest of the room stared at her in awe. "Moreau didn't tell you that we've already taken him down twice before, did he?"

"We just helped the devil steal the child of vengeful angels," the man at the door reported before he ran out of the room as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Eliot Spencer's going to kill us all!" another one shouted as he and most of the others fled for their lives.

A round of ammunition went off and the retreating soldiers stopped dead in their tracks. They all turned around in shame and stared at the man who fired the gun. It was Moreau's newest right hand man. His name was Charlie Haskins and he was five times as vicious as Eliot Spencer. He killed when told and he reveled in it like a dog. Moreau enjoyed his sense of blood to destructive ends. He was the one who maintained the order of chaos. He was the one who dealt the pain now.

"Cowards!" Charlie hissed after those who left, "We have our orders and I intend to follow them through. Moreau isn't even out of the building yet and you're ready to betray him on the words of some chick he kidnapped. What kind of pathetic fools are you?"

"You don't understand," Jones howled at the man in charge in fear of what he might do, "This is Sophie Devereaux! You can't harm her!"

"Watch me," Charlie in charge smirked. The grifter's breathing pattern had fallen to a steady rhythm and he looked like he already had some ideas about what to do with her. "We're going to wait until Moreau is safely out of the vicinity and then we are going to follow orders. Unless you want to face Moreau's wrath?"

The men were silent at that thought. Nobody betrayed Moreau. It wasn't allowed. Anybody who actually did ended up sleeping with the fishes within the hour. Moreau was cruel when he made the killing. Everybody in the room knew that and they all stayed quiet. Their boss had made his point.

"Alright then," Charlie grinned at his comrades. He then turned a mocking gaze on Jones, his eyes blazing with the taste of fire and the thirst for blood. "That's exactly what I thought.

They waited for Moreau to leave like good little soldiers. Jones did everything in his power to keep Sophie's strength up. He gave her glasses of water and fluffed her pillow. He checked her pulse and debated the pros and cons of his swiftly forming plan. Then the quiet warehouse was filled with the sound of Moreau and his entourage leaving them behind. There would only be a few minutes left before bloodshed became inevitable.

"Now," Charlie announced with a quick loosen of his belt, "The real fun begins."

"I won't let you harm this woman any further," Jones explained as he pointed his gun towards the evil man.

"Go ahead," Charlie dared, an evil smirk was dancing across his face as he moved closer to the poor brunette woman, "Shoot me! When Moreau finds out that you've flipped…"

Crack! The bullet flew into the man's head before Jones even realized he pulled the trigger. He stared at the man he had killed and then turned his attention towards the others with death in his eyes.

"Eliot Spencer killed him," Jones explained as he kept his gun pointed at the others, "and you all ran for your lives to escape the torment! Anybody who wishes to help me keep this woman alive is allowed to stay. Everybody else… get out before I take you out!"

The entirety of Moreau's men left the area as quickly as possible for their own lives and sanity. Jones turned his attention towards the woman he had wronged and went to take out the IV that had been inserted in her wrist.

"It's too late!" Sophie moaned towards her unexpected savior, "Those things are all that's keeping me alive right now."

"But I was going to save you," Jones argued in shock. His hand was still enclosed around the IV and ready to pull. He smiled kindly to help her out. "I finally gained up the courage to help. You don't need these to stay around."

"I just lost my baby," Sophie whimpered towards the man, her eyes hollow and broken. "I know that I'm not going to make it, not without her."

"That's just the drugs talking," Jones tried to pull the IV out of her arm but a white ghost of a hand stopped him in his tracks. The cowardly brave man looked up into brown eyes in confusion. Sophie just smiled at him sadly.

"It's not the drugs," Sophie explained gently. "But I need you to help me stay around long enough to see Nate again."

"What do you need?" Jones asked immediately. He had wronged this woman greatly. He wasn't going to deny her anything anymore. He owed her.

"You could start by getting her some real food and more comfortable bed sheets," a tiny tenor of a voice called out from somewhere near the door. Jones and Sophie turned their heads towards the entryway in confusion. There was a boy of eighteen or nineteen standing there with his gun and his uniform. He was one of Moreau's men. He seemed to be the only one to stay.

"Who are you?" Jones demanded immediately. He quickly pointed his gun towards the kid and blocked Sophie as best as he could.

"Henry sir," the boy announced with a strange salute. "You said that we could stay if we intended to help her out. I intend to help her out."

"Alright," Jones nodded in response, "Watch the door and make certain nobody comes in here unless they're bringing food or say their name is Eliot Spencer."

"Yes sir," Henry immediately raced off to guard the door with his life. He didn't even pause to ask for more information. He just did as told. Jones didn't know how to take that.

"I recognize him from somewhere," Sophie stated when he was gone. She sounded tired but that was normal after her ordeal. Jones turned his attention back to her and smiled sadly again.

"You need to rest," Jones ordered as kindly as possible. He needed her to know he was on her side. It was the most important thing in the world. "I promise I'll be here when you get back, and with food too."

Sophie just smiled weakly at his statement. Her eyes showed she didn't quite trust him but she seemed to know he was telling the truth. The woman slowly fell down against the pillows and fell asleep. Jones watched her for a few minutes to make certain her breathing was still normal. Then he quickly slipped out of the room and found his new ally. The boy stood at attention with eagerness to help him anyway possible.

"Can I trust you to keep her safe?" Jones questioned harshly.

"Nathan Ford and Sophie Devereaux saved my life a while ago," Henry nodded his head vigorously. "I joined Moreau's team to somehow return the favor. I'm a spy for Parker. I won't let anything happen to her, I promise. I'm going to send out a message as soon as you get back."

"Protect that woman at all costs including your own life," Jones ordered as he handed the child his gun and started to leave, "I'm getting her something more than just soup and bread. If I come back and find anything wrong with her including a broken fingernail…"

"Nothing's going to happen to her, I promise," Henry smiled at the order. He was prepared for war. He was going to protect the grifter at all costs. He could be trusted to save her life.


	12. A Message and an Old Friend

"The very next day Moreau sent reinforcements who would follow his orders no matter what. I barely made it out of there alive and that was only because I had a message to deliver. Henry was shot on sight and he defended her until the end. She gave me this to give to you," Jones explained. He pulled out a DVD and handed it to the mastermind, "I don't know what's on it but I know she left you a message. I'm sorry I couldn't save her."

"Your family," Nate posed as he stared at the disc in fascination, "What happened to them after you did this?"

"I left them," Jones stated with sadness, "I faked my own death and did several horrid things so my family would have no doubt I was dead and no need to search me out if they didn't believe. I am gone to them, Mr. Ford. I lost my family to Moreau in a way far less tragic than you did."

"Thank you," Nate stated as he stared at the man in wonder, "Thank you for switching when you did."

"Find your daughter," Jones ordered calmly, "and make certain her mother's death wasn't for nothing."

"You got it," Nate agreed as he took the DVD and left without another word.

%

"You did what?"

Parker's voice was reaching dog whistle levels it was so high at the moment. She was doing everything in her power not to flip out on the three thieves before her so close to a playground. Nobody needed to know they were there, but they were making it so hard.

"What Parker is trying to say is find him now or we will rip you to shreds!" Alec intervened. He even wore a sadistic smile to inform the group that he was being very serious.

"What's wrong?" Nate asked.

The three young thieves stared at him in complete shock. The mastermind and grifter just rolled their eyes. They were used to him just randomly strolling over towards them exactly when they realized he disappeared.

"I found him," Damien shrugged. It couldn't hurt.

"You were supposed to stay in sight of these three at all times!" Hardison yelled. He pointed his right index finger at his mentor and snarled ferociously.

"When have I ever followed the rules?" Nate asked. He even shrugged his shoulders and acted like what he did was no big deal. The sad part was that Parker was agreeing with him.

"You still have to at least keep your earbud in!" Hardison said. He was losing energy fast and the three thieves stared, open-mouthed. Their mastermind never ran out of steam when it came to a screaming match.

"I have a present," Nate said. He gently placed a DVD in the former hacker's hands and smiled. "Sophie left us a message."

"D-man, make certain this is safe," Hardison ordered. He handed over the disc without even looking. He knew his hacker would handle it with care.

"Oh," Nate added, "And I also attached a couple tracking bugs to the mark's car to ensure that we might actually find a place close by to where they are."

Parker shrugged. "It gave us a warning explaining that we should head for the hills because her boss is gonna kill us next time."

"Then we better get to it," Nate nodded.

%

"Okay," Damien reported when he entered the room, "It's clear! Just pop it in and you'll get to see whatever Sophie Devereaux left you!"

"Thanks, D-man," Hardison nodded as he stared at the disc in his hands in shock.

"Are we going to watch it?" Ashley commented quietly, "Or is it just a family thing?"

"You are family," Parker stated in a growl as she stared at the disc.

"But this is something that only the three of us can see," Nate explained as he took the disc from the new mastermind and stared at the others sadly, "Sorry, too much you guys wont' understand and Sophie's privacy…"

"We understand," Craig nodded as he directed the two siblings out of the room, "Call us when you're ready to rock!"

"What do we do now?" Parker questioned when she was certain the other members of their team were gone.

"We watch," Nate commented as he placed the disc inside the player.

"Are you sure you want us with you?" Hardison demanded of his mentor softly.

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Nate nodded as he pressed play.

The disc started out in blackness for a matter of seconds before a familiar face of beauty appeared on it. The brunette on the screen was practically radiating that pregnant glow as she smiled sadly into the camera she had been allowed.

"Hi," Sophie cried into the screen as tears started forming in her eyes, "Sorry if I'm a little emotional but I have a really good excuse, I promise! This is the second disc I'm making without their permission so I have to be quick before they get suspicious and decide that giving me this one privilege was a bad idea!"

The three surviving members of their once great team stared at the wonderful image in amazement of what they were being given. Sniffles and gasps were shared as they continued to watch their grifter in wonder.

"I don't know how long it's been," Sophie admitted on the screen sadly, "but I know you are all probably aware of Tara's betrayal so I won't hesitate to spoil that for you. It was a setup from the very start. The whole job had been a setup. How they knew when to set us up is still a mystery and we'll probably never know but I figure you guys should know who to really blame. Our clients had no idea what was going on any more than we did. I want to make that very clear! …I'm sorry… I promised myself I wasn't going to cry…"

Nate chuckled at the grifter's words as his cheeks gleamed with tears of his own. Parker just sniffled along as she tried to fight her own emotions for the sake of the boys. Hardison was the only one who didn't seem to care who knew he was crying. They all just cried with their grifter and wished they could be with her right now.

"Well, where do I start?" Sophie demanded when her emotions were finally under some control again, "I guess I should start with the best news in the world, huh? Umm… Nate… this is very, very important. I don't know how to say this… but I'm pregnant! …Yeah… shocking isn't it? It's a girl by the way! In case you were wondering. Of course… if I'm actually alive you probably already know this… unless I'm unconscious, which is the only way I can see me actually being alive right now, so there's that. She's yours in case you were wondering. Oh, that was stupid, of course she's yours! Who else's could she be?"

Nate laughed at his grifter's comedic flare and might have even cried a little harder at the nervous way she was acting in telling him he was the father of her child.

"Well," Sophie smiled warmly into the camera, "I guess that's really no surprise to the others now. I think they've had a bet going around too but you can never tell with those three."

"How did she know?" Parker questioned in shock of everything.

"Oh, Parker," Sophie smiled sadly, "Haven't you learned by now that you can't outcon Sophie Devereaux?"

"You can just trick her into an early grave!" Hardison grumbled at the grifter's statement.

"Don't be so cross, Hardison!" Sophie ordered as if she had the image of what was going on in the back of her mind, "It will only make you bitter and miserable and I want you to be happy. I want you and Parker both to be oh so happy! I wish I could be there to see the day when you two finally stop beating around the bush and admit you love each other! That was always mine and Nate's problem. Too much bloody pride between the two of us… but you're different! You have so much ahead of you. Don't let pride and your past get in the way, and Eliot stop heckling them! You can be just as bad when it comes to that pride of yours! For other reasons yes, but still just as bad! I hope you know that this isn't your fault, Eliot Spencer. There was no possible way you could have known this would happen even if you were sleeping with the enemy."

"Of course," Hardison sighed at the grifter's statement, "She knew!"

"Why wouldn't she?" Parker asked as she took the former hacker's hand in her own and held on tight.

"This isn't any of your faults," Sophie pointed out cleverly, "I'm going to drill this into your heads just to be on the safe side because I strongly doubt I'll be there to do it when this all goes down! This is Tara, not you! So, please, don't do anything that's going to end with your lives! And Nate…."

The grifter breathed out a hesitant sigh as she started to bawl her eyes out again at the painful thoughts that were so obviously going through her mind. The former mastermind joined her because he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking at the time.

"I love you," Sophie admitted softly, "I just want to go on record and say it so we're both clear on the subject. I love you, Nathan Ford and I am so sorry this is happening to you again! I'm even more sorry that it's me who is causing you pain this time around and I hope that there's some good news to come from all of this. I don't want you to suffer, Nate. I never have. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I can't be there with you and help you through this!"

"No," Nate ordered the screen in defeat, "Don't be sorry, Soph."

"I need you to do something for me, Nate," Sophie explained out of desperation into the camera that seemed to have become her salvation, "I need you to steal our daughter back! Our daughter, Nate! They are going to take our baby girl and manipulate her against you. I'm doing everything I can to make certain that doesn't happen but I need you to steal her back! I want my baby safe, Nate! I want our baby girl to be raised by you! Please, Nate, save our little girl! That's the only thing that's keeping me alive. Save the only piece of you and me there could ever be. Save our daughter!"

There were a few scuffling sounds in the distance making themselves known to the camera. Sophie Devereaux turned towards the source of the noise with a look of pure panic on her face. She then directed her attention back to the screen and cried harder at the cold fact those noises meant.

"I have to go," Sophie cried out in misery, "Save her, Nate! I love you! I love you all! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

The screen went blank the moment the grifter's hand reached towards the camera. All three stared at the blank screen in shock. Parker continued to make sniffling noises as she buried her nose into the former hacker's arm for comfort. Hardison grabbed the former thief and held her tight against his chest as his tears were starting to dry. Nate stared at the image with a new sense of purpose on his face. He stood up, took the disc out of the player and gently placed it somewhere safe.

"Well," Nate croaked when the silence had stretched on for a bit, "I guess that settles it."

"Yep," Hardison agreed with the wise old man's words, "Looks like we're kidnapping."

"Sophie says so," Parker nodded from her perch beside the former hacker.

"Hardison," Nate sighed, "I'm going to have to ask you to dial an old friend."

"Please tell me it isn't who I know it is!" Even as he said it, the new mastermind was already typing away in search of the number.

"I hate that guy!" Parker grumbled.

%

"It took you long enough," Nate commented when he heard the familiar footsteps making their way even closer to him.

"I just…" Sterling began as he hesitantly stood before the former mastermind in wonder, "I didn't believe it."

"Why do you think I had Hardison call you?" Nate stared up at his former friend sternly.

"He said you were looking for information," Sterling started the conversation in a firm business tone.

"I want the man who did this," Nate agreed as the Interpol agent sat down beside him, "I want the address, Jim."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific," Sterling dodged the question like the seasoned pro he was.

"Damien Moreau!" Nate hissed the vulgar name with sinister intentions, "I want everything you have on his current whereabouts and leave nothing out."

"How did you know it was Moreau?" Sterling demanded of his former friend as a stall tactic.

"I've had six and a half years to figure it out," Nate glared at his old friend's tricks, "Why do you think I was catatonic?"

"I knew you were figuring out the solution to the problem," Sterling conceded with a smirk. "I'm sorry about Spencer."

"Then help me bring the man responsible down," Nate suggested boldly, "Prove to me that you're sorry."

"I did everything I could to help you find her!" Sterling argued in a fit, "I nearly lost my job trying to help you save her!"

"I know, Jim," Nate agreed sadly, "That's why I'm here now."

"I was at the funeral," Sterling huffed at their conversation piece, "Do you remember?"

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific," Nate quipped back with a bowed head.

"All of them," Sterling replied sternly, "Sam's… Spencer's… hers."

"You still can't say it, can you?" Nate smirked at the Interpol agent's weakness, "Even after all this time you still can't say her name."

"Jenny had a better ring to it," Sterling snapped cattily.

"I still prefer Sophie," Nate dismissed easily enough.

"Why are you doing this?" Sterling demanded of his former friend sadly, "Why are you putting yourself through this torture again?"

"They stole my child," Nate interrupted the tirade before it could go any further. "You of all people know what that's like."

"Your child?" Sterling stared at the former mastermind completely perplexed by the new information.

"Sophie's daughter," Nate continued bitterly.

Sterling allowed the statement to sink in for a moment before he went into action. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and a pen. He jotted down a number and some words before he carefully placed the pen back where it belonged. James Sterling: Interpol handed over the address to Nathan Ford: Criminal Mastermind without a moment of hesitation.

"Call me if you need anything more," Sterling commented as he stood to go.

"Jim," Nate called out before his greatest opponent could leave.

The Interpol agent stopped, turned around and stared the mastermind in the eyes.

"Thank you," Nate ground out with a light smile and a wave of the paper in his hand.

Sterling smiled and gave a tiny bow before he slumped off from wherever he came from.

%

"Alright," D-man handed over the clicker to his boss, "Everything you need is on there."

"Thanks, D-man," Hardison mussed the hacker's hair and smiled.

"Remember to meet us at the rendezvous in three days," Parker advised the three, "This plan is only going to work if it looks like we gave up."

"We understand," Craig nodded. He was holding Ashley's hand tightly in his own.

"Be careful," Ashley warned.

"You too," Parker smiled at the hitter. She pounded each thief on the back of the shoulder and watched as they went off.

The kids were on their way to safety. There was only one matter left to resolve. The mastermind's smile grew darker at this. He knew exactly what was needed in order for vengeance to be theirs.

"I get dibs on her killers!"


	13. The Enemy's Home

**A/N:** _This is short but we're at the home stretch. Now all I have to do is figure out how to... Oh never mind, you'll figure it out!_

"We ready?" Nate demanded of the former thief and hacker nervously. He adjusted his tie just to be certain.

Parker and Hardison nodded. They were standing in a neighborhood with picket white fences and perfectly paved roads. The houses were all equidistant from each other. The grass was that perfect cinema green. There were little red bikes in front of some of the houses and big friendly dogs in front of others. It was the typical fifties suburb in modern times. It was the perfect place to hide a kidnapped child and her kidnappers.

"Okay," Nate finished fixing his tie and breathed deep, "Let's go."

Their target was in the house located in the exact middle of the suburban circle. It was bone white and had a bright red door the shade of crimson blood. They had the white picket fence and no signs of life outside of it. Their mailbox was the only sign that a child lived in the house. The white mailbox had paintings of a happy family painted upon them by the artful hand of a child. The address matched the one written on the note in the old mastermind's inside pocket.

The trio walked towards the crimson door with different levels of apprehension. What they were about to do was unorthodox and could get them in an amount of trouble far more than they were used to. It was worth it though. They were all willing to put everything on the line for the child behind that door. Their entire mission depended on it.

Nate waited until they were all gathered on the stoop of the door. Then he rang the bell and waited for an answer. The doorbell chimed by no life within the house seemed to exist. Parker leaned over and checked the driveway. There were two cars parked there. She turned towards her friends and nodded her head. Nathan rang the doorbell again.

"Coming," a little voice announced through the big door.

The three looked at each other in complete confusion. They hadn't exactly planned for this. They were expecting one of the kidnapping adults to answer. They were not expecting their wonderful, beautiful little target. The tiny sounds of little fit were pattering towards the door. Then the door opened to reveal a rather tiny brunette with bright blue eyes.

"My god," Nate gasped. That was all he could say as he took in the sight of a mini version of Sophie with his eyes. It was a miraculous wonder to behold.

Parker and Hardison were equally just as surprised. Parker's jaw tightened and her eyes grew wide. She was doing everything in her power not to scream, shout and kidnap the child right then and there. Hardison's fingers were twitching wildly. That was his only sign. It meant he was thinking about several things all at once. Judging by the way his eyes glowed with fire, his main thoughts definitely were involving murder and blood.

"Who are you?" the little wonder demanded with a familiar tilt of the head that sent all three down memory lane.

Nate opened his mouth to answer. He really did. He even had it all worked out exactly how he was going to introduce himself too. His voice just refused to cooperate. He was staring at the most beautiful little thing in the world. He was staring at a miniature replica of the woman who brought him back from the dead. His Sophie was back if only through her genetic perfections in their little girl.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked again. Her face was morphing into Sophie's curious frown but her jaw stuck out defiantly, just like her father's. Parker and Hardison would recognize those facial features anywhere.

"Who's at the door, sweetheart?" a masculine voice demanded with a familiarity to it the others couldn't shake, luckily the three thieves didn't have long to wait for the stranger to be revealed.

"Moreau?" Parker blurted out in complete awe of the news.

"You did this?" Hardison barked out in complete hysterics at the news.

"You have a beautiful daughter," Nate retorted as he nodded his head to the little girl that clung to her father's shin immediately at the scary tones.

"Well," Moreau smiled a welcoming smile at his three unwanted visitors, "Isn't this a lovely surprise?"

"Yes," Nate smiled villainously at the man who stole his daughter and killed his grifter, "It is."

"We were in the neighborhood and thought we'd say hi," Hardison explained as his voice naturally slipped back into his pleasant business tone.

"Surprise," Parker hissed as she kept the small child in mind and smiled politely. She even waved her hands in the air to make it seem genuine.

"Sweetheart," Moreau flourished the child by his side immediately as he kept careful watch over his three guests. "Go tell mommy we have guests and then do me a favor and go play in your room. Will you do that for daddy?"

"Who are they?" the small child demanded as she kept her blue eyes glued on the mastermind in front of her.

"Never you mind," Moreau ordered the girl with a smile, "Just get mommy and do as daddy says, okay?"

"Okay," the small girl agreed as she started to pull away.

"Give daddy a kiss," Moreau demanded of the small child as he pointed to his cheek.

The young girl did as she was instructed and immediately left the room. Moreau watched the little girl disappear from sight before turning a victorious smile the mastermind's way.

"Ford," Moreau smirked at the mastermind before him, "I see Parker and Hardison are surprised to see me. I take it you didn't tell them about my plan?"

"I thought it was safest to wait until we had a plan," Nate shrugged.

"What?" Hardison and Parker both shouted out in horrified unison.

"You knew?" Hardison growled towards his mentor in complete surprise.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Parker demanded immediately after that.

"I'll explain later," Nate promised. He kept his eyes coolly trained on the man responsible for his world's upending. Parker and Hardison shared a glance and silently agreed to let it go. Their mentor only withheld information to protect them. This was probably one of those times.

"I see you've got your hands full," Moreau chuckled darkly.

"Sure," Nate agreed in a casual business tone, "Do invite us in, will you?"

"Yes," Hardison agreed with a matching tone of his own, "It is polite after all."

"And you do owe us that much considering the circumstances," Parker smiled kindly to the man responsible for their personal Hell.

"I don't know," Moreau retorted with an air of sport, "I don't think I want three well known criminals around my daughter. Don't you think, Mr. Ford?"

"Considering she's been raised by two of the worst already," Nate retorted in a cold tongue, "I don't see how three of the best could be any worse."

"You don't have children," Moreau smirked at the comeback.

"I beg to differ," Nate announced with a warning tone to his voice.

"Who's at the door?" a traitorous voice demanded before she appeared around the door to see her guests, "Oh, it's you three. What do you want?"

"Aren't you going to let them in?" the little voice from before demanded from somewhere behind the traitor.

"Yes," Nate reiterated his daughter's words with venom. "Aren't you going to let us in?"

"Of course," Tara smiled a forced smile as she welcomed the three thieves in with obvious reluctance, "Come on in. Welcome to our humble abode!"

"How polite of you to remember, Parker," Moreau patted the little girl's head affectionately.

"Parker?" Parker demanded with wide eyes at the child's name.

"It was the name her mother picked out before she died," Moreau explained as if the three invaders to his house were old friends he was catching up with, "I felt it my responsibility to carry out her dying wish."

"So the blonde's not her real mother?" Hardison gasped in fake surprise.

"No," Tara agreed with a roll of her eyes at the young man's grifting skills, "My husband and I didn't meet until months after our little angel was born."

"Mommy's name is Amy," young Parker explained with a bright smile as she happily sat herself on her father's lap and continued to stare at the blue eyed mastermind.

"And what was your birth mother's name?" Parker demanded with gentleness in her tone as she gazed upon her namesake with a smile.

"Her name was Sophie," young Parker explained with excitement in her eyes as she gave the blonde thief a moment of her attention before directing it back at the mastermind who seemed to be captivating it.

"How old are you, Parker?" Nate demanded of the little girl whose interest he gladly captured.

"She'll be six this June," Tara reported as she kept careful watch on the mastermind and his interaction with the daughter she had stolen from him.

"My you're getting big," Nate smiled at his little girl with tender eyes.

"Amy," Moreau stated when he noticed the little girl was still staring at the mastermind in front of her, "why don't you make some tea?"

"I think that's a lovely idea," Tara agreed with the little hint immediately, "Parker, sweetie, do you want to help mommy make some tea?"

"Okay," young Parker cheered as she followed her step-mother into the kitchen with blue eyes still on the mastermind until she had successfully left the room.

"What do you want?" Moreau demanded of the trio the moment the little ears were well out of hearing range.

"My daughter," Nate explained simply as he stared at the spot his child disappeared in with amazement on his face.

"No," Moreau hissed at the mastermind's statement, "She's my daughter, Ford! I created her and you are not taking her away from me!"

"You stole her!" Parker snarled at the poor excuse of a man with violence bristling from her in spades, "You stole her from Sophie!"

"After you killed her!" Hardison finished for the thief with anger on his face, "You stole her after you killed her mother!"

"We won't harm you if you give us my daughter," Nate explained for the others as he chanced a look at his tormentor, "Just give me Parker and you will never have to worry about us again!"

"She's not yours, Ford," Moreau calmly stated to the mastermind.

"She has his eyes," Parker coolly reported to the villain with a haunting voice of recognition.

"She's not yours," Hardison translated softly.

"But you will never be able to prove that," Moreau smiled at the little trio, "Can't you see it? I've won, Ford. I have the daughter of two of my greatest enemies and I will raise her to inherit my empire. She's my perfect little thief. You can't take her away from me now. I'm all she knows. It's already too late, Ford. She's mine."

"Listen," Nate tried to reason with the man in complete dad mode, "This is only going to hurt her more in the long run. If you care about her at all, just give her to me now! You won't ever have to worry about us ever again. She doesn't need to see the man she believes to be her father die. Please, we both win here!"

"What do you win?" the tiny voice curiously questioned as she skipped her way to Moreau's lap with a wide smile as she stared at the mastermind and sipped her tea.

"Nothing, princess," Moreau explained to the child with a caring smile, "Mr. Ford here was just offering me a business venture I just have to refuse."

"We'll pay you," Parker offered as she stared at the mini version of Sophie with greedy eyes, "Whatever you want."

"We're willing to make this easy for you," Hardison agreed as he kept his eyes of steel on the woman responsible for this mess.

"Sorry," Tara retorted before Moreau could say anything about it, "We're not selling!"

"She was your best friend," Parker snarled at the other grifter as calmly as possible with careful mind of the child staring at their mastermind, "You owe us."

"My wife told you we're not selling," Moreau emphasized every word he spoke as carefully as possible, "and we're not selling."

"Do I know you?" young Parker questioned as she tilted her head and stared at the mastermind.

"I don't think so," Moreau explained as he shared a quick look of worry with the traitor before answering the little girl's question, "I knew Mr. Ford here long before you were born."

"But his voice," young Parker continued with her father's eyes trained on the man of her fancy, "I know that voice."

"Well," Nate chuckled as he dared answer the young girl's question right in front of the worried couple, "I did know your mommy."

"He means your birth mother," Tara quickly interrupted before the mastermind could continue what he started, "Maybe you recognize his voice from one of her videos."

"No," young Parker shook her head at the very idea, "He's not in any of mummy's videos."

"Did you know," Nate calmly asked the girl whose attention he already adored, "that a child can recognize a voice they heard when they were in their mommy's tummy no matter how old they are?"

"Really?" young Parker asked excitedly, "Maybe that's where I heard you before!"

"Yeah, maybe it is," Nate agreed with a twinkle in his eyes at his daughter's enthusiasm.

"That's impossible," Moreau denied the idea immediately, "He didn't know your birth mother when she was pregnant with you."

"I recognize their voices too," young Parker continued to babble to the mastermind as she ignored Moreau exactly like her real mother would, "and you have my eyes."

"I have your eyes?" Nate demanded of the almost six year old with a laugh, "No, I think you have my eyes."

"Daddy says that you can only share somebody's eyes if they love you," young Parker explained as she pointed to her father and slapped him on the arm to get his attention, "right daddy?"

"Right, princess," Moreau nodded as he worked on figuring out the mastermind's play.

"And you and I have the exact same eyes and my mummy and daddy had the exact same eyes," young Parker continued on excitedly, "and mommy doesn't have the exact same eyes as any of us so that must mean you love me. Do you love me, Mr. Ford?"

"Why do you ask?" Nate demanded of the child as he fought to not answer that question.

"That's enough, Parker," Tara scolded the child before she could say anything else, "You know it's impolite to stare."

"My mummy made me videos before she died," young Parker explained. She turned her attention to the other two guests with a slight blush. "Do you want to see?"

"That's not polite guest talk, princess," Moreau admonished the little girl immediately, "Besides, you need to be a good little girl and go to your room."

"Are you staying for dinner?" young Parker cunningly questioned right in front of everybody.

"We weren't invited," Parker explained to her namesake with gentle eyes.

"Can they stay for dinner, mommy?" young Parker pleaded to Tara with bug eyes.

"They're probably too busy to stay…" Tara began.

"We would love to," Hardison interrupted smoothly, "If that's alright with you, of course."

"Please, daddy," young Parker pleaded with the man she believed to be her father with the pout her real mother used to use so well.

"How can you say no to that face?" Nate asked aloud as he turned his attention to Moreau with a winning smirk.

"Would you and your guests like to stay for dinner, Mr. Ford?" Moreau gritted his teeth as he realized he was trapped by a five year old genius.

"We'd love to," Nate smiled at the news.

"Yay," young Parker cheered. The little brunette jumped from her captor's lap and raced towards Parker excitedly. She grabbed her hand and immediately pulled on the woman she was named after towards her bedroom, "You can play with me in my room!"

"I don't think…" Tara began to argue before Moreau interrupted her again.

"Let them play," Moreau waved a hand at the woman he lived with, "No harm done!"

"Okay," Tara sighed at the man she was living with, "If you say so, boss. Nathan, since you're going to be staying her and all you might as well make yourself useful. Help me in the kitchen."

"And if anything happens do note that I have your hacker here with me," Moreau added just for the fun of it.

"I understand," Nate nodded at the threat. His eyes connected with the hacker's and the younger man gave a subtle nod. The plan was about to take shape.

Nate and Tara left the room with a notable distance between them. Hardison took note of this as he stared at the evil man before him. It was finally here. Vengeance for the deaths of his hitter and his grifter was finally here, and it would be against their greatest opponent.

Moreau smiled wide. "Now it's time for us to talk."

Hardison returned the bitter smile immediately. "Yes," he said, "I do believe it is."

Stage one of the con was now complete. They had successfully infiltrated enemy territory.


	14. Payback is Upon Us

**A/N:** _Oh, sorry, I forgot to say this in the last chapter. Thank you guys for all of your lovely reviews and for nominating this story for the awards thingy by alinandalion. You guys rock. Hope you like the next set of twists and turns. The next one's a doozy!_

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Little Parker led big Parker into her bedroom. The former thief blinked at the place. It was bright pink and filled with everything a little princess could need. There was a play castle off to the side, conveniently at the foot of the bed shaped like a glass slipper. There was a painting near the castle that had a tower with a Rapunzel letting down her hair for the prince to climb. The closet was to the left, open and overflowing with clothes of the latest fashion. It even had princess outfits in it. The wall opposite of the door was a pair of bay windows complete with window seat and lavender and fuchsia curtains. The wall opposite of the bed had a little pink and purple T.V. with a DVD player and shelves of movies. That was where little Parker was sitting. Well, that was where she was pointing for Parker, the thief, to sit. She was busy crawling under her bed through a mountain of fluffy stuffed animals.

Big Parker did the dutiful job of an aunt and sat where appointed. She waited for the little girl to finish whatever she was doing under the bed. It was only seconds later when the little thing was skipping towards the DVD player and popped an unmarked disc in.

"My mommy and daddy don't know I have this," young Parker whispered to older Parker with a mischievous grin that was definitely Nate all the way.

"What is it?" Parker demanded of her namesake with interest.

"It's from my mummy," young Parker smiled at the news, "She hid it in stuff that only I could find!"

"What do you mean?" Parker questioned the young child in confusion.

"Mommy-Amy says that this house used to belong to my mummy," young Parker stated slowly as if she were speaking to a child younger than herself. "She said that mummy and daddy lived here for a while when I was in her tummy so they could make videos for me to say hi!"

"Okay," Parker nodded as she tried to follow the young child's logic.

"Mommy-Amy and daddy don't know about this one," young Parker smiled a grin that matched Sophie perfectly. "My mummy hid this somewhere where only I could find it."

"How do you know?" Parker titled her head in hopes of understanding.

"She said so," young Parker rolled her eyes at the older woman with a gruff shake of her head. "She also told me to watch it when visitors come to the house."

"Visitors don't come to your house?" Parker narrowed her eyebrows in confusion of the young child's statement.

"Nope," young Parker shook her head ferociously at the older woman, "Only for trick or treating. Daddy doesn't like visitors! Want to watch it?"

"Okay," Parker nodded as she realized she needed to see Sophie again. The two Parkers waited in patient silence for what would happen next.

The painfully familiar image of the gorgeously beautiful grifter with brunette hair appeared on the screen. Tears were already in her eyes and she was noticeably pregnant with her miniature version. Sophie Devereaux was alive once again if only for however long the tape was supposed to play.

"Hi Parker," Sophie smiled with teary eyes as she spoke into the camera as quietly as possible, "They don't know I'm making this so you have to keep this our little secret, okay bumblebee? I'm going to hide this somewhere special where I want you to hide it so we can always have a special secret just between you and mummy, hmm?"

"Hi mummy," young Parker whispered to the image of her mother as she smiled brightly at the fact she got to see her again.

"I want you to know that I love you very much," Sophie cried into the camera with quick glances to the door to make certain she wasn't overheard. "If mummy could, she would be there with you now but I can't. I want to though. Believe me, Parker, I want to. Mummy wants to be with you so much, but I'm… I'm too sick to be there for you."

Parker cringed at the lie her grifter told the little girl she had carried secret for so long. The former thief turned grifter turned to look at the child the video was talking to. The little girl stared at the video with a wistful smile on her face as she paid careful attention to every word the woman who gave birth to her spoke on the screen.

"Listen bumblebee," Sophie continued with sadness in her very expression, "I need you to do something for me. Can you do that for mummy, Parker? Mummy needs you to be a good little girl and pretend that the people taking care of you are your real mummy and daddy, but they're not. I know you probably won't understand this for so many years to come, but please listen. The people who are raising you are not your parents. That woman is not your mother and that… that man is not your father. Your father has the bluest eyes you will ever see. He's a good man, Parker, I swear it! I hope you have his eyes. If there is anything I can pick of him that you inherit it has to be his brain and his eyes so you have to pay special attention in class and work as hard as you can so you can be the smartest little bumblebee in the world, okay?"

"Oh Sophie," Parker moaned at the grifter's fearful last statement to her daughter.

"Your daddy's name is Nathan Ford," Sophie explained immediately to her greatest asset, "Not Damien Moreau or whatever name Tara Cole calls him around you! You're the daughter of Nathan James Ford and you will be everything he is. You will be the most honest and pure person in the world, okay, bumblebee? Mummy wants you to chase the bad guys just like him, okay?"

"Okay, mummy," young Parker promised the screen with a gentle nod, "I'll chase the bad guys."

"I don't…" Sophie mumbled into the camera as she took a careful watch of the door before continuing, "Now, here's how you can help mummy, bumblebee! Can you do that, Parker?"

"Yes mummy," young Parker nodded fervently as she copied her mother by checking the door carefully.

"Check to make certain nobody's listening at the door," Sophie ordered the little girl from inside the TV, "Now, listen carefully, Parker Elaine. You are going to have a small group of visitors come to see you and the people taking care of you! One of them will be a black man who is almost as tall as a tree and just as skinny. His name is Alec Hardison, that's Uncle Alec to you, my little bumblebee. Another one will be a big muscly man with long hair if he hasn't chopped it all off. He'll be shorter than you expect but that's your Uncle Eliot! You stick close to him because he's going to protect you from the bad guys, understand?"

"Stick to Uncle Eliot," young Parker nodded as she sneaked a look at the door before agreeing to her mother's words, "Got it, mummy!"

"Now, Parker," Sophie began before a shy smile formed on her lips, "Parker… they probably won't tell you this so this can be another secret between you and mummy, okay? Parker, my little bumblebee, you are named after my absolute best of friends. She's practically my sister and she has gorgeous blonde hair and pretty blue eyes that are very similar to the woman who is taking care of you. Her name is Parker too! That's why you're named Parker, because that's her name and I wanted to name you after her! She's going to be with the group of visitors I told you about. Your job is to take her into your room and show her this video. She'll know the rest, okay?"

"I did it, mummy," young Parker nodded happily as she glanced at the woman she was named after with a wide smile, "I brought the other Parker in here with me."

"Okay," Sophie finally allowed the tears that had been in her eyes the entire video to fall down her cheeks, "Your daddy is going to be the other person in the group. He will have blue eyes. I don't know if you will have his eyes but if yours are blue than that's exactly what his look like. That color's called cerulean! It's my favorite color but don't tell him that! He has curly brown hair and he will sound like the smartest person in the room. He will probably gasp in awe the moment he sees you so if anybody does that's him! You have to make certain that daddy is okay! You're going to make him so happy, bumblebee! I just wish I could see the look on his face when he meets you! I know you're going to take his breath away!"

"Oh Sophie," Parker cried out again as she made certain no spies were at the door before she pulled the young child towards her and let a few tears fall.

"They are going to take you away from the people who are taking care of you," Sophie explained to her daughter with bluntly honest trust. "Don't be afraid, Parker. They are going to make certain you are safe because they are your real family! They're going to come and take you away from where ever you are now and they are going to make you so happy you will never even think about the other people you're with right now! They are going to rescue you, bumblebee! Your daddy is coming to rescue you because he is the White Knight turned Black King! That's what you have to ask if you want to know who your daddy really is, okay Parker? You ask him what the white knight turned into. If he doesn't say the Black King, then he isn't your daddy! And there's another thing you have to ask, just in case! Ask him what mummy said to prove she loved him! It's a secret only mummy and daddy know and if he can answer the question, he's him!"

"But how will she know the answer?" Parker demanded of the image on the screen.

"Watch," Young Parker ordered as she smiled at the woman's insistence.

"Mummy's greatest secret," Sophie explained to her daughter with sad tears, "is the only thing you don't know, sweetheart. Mummy didn't tell daddy she loved him! Remember that, bumblebee! Mummy told daddy she loved him by telling him her real name. Understand my little bumblebee?"

"I got it," little Parker nodded at her mother's address. She even wore a grin that matched her mother's embarrassed smile perfectly.

"Mummy loves you," Sophie stared into the camera with purpose, "Mummy loves you oh so much and don't you ever forget that! I love both of my Parkers! Never forget that, my little bumblebee! Parker Elaine Ford is the name of my daughter! You're my daughter! I'm Sophie Devereaux and you are my daughter! Never forget that, bumblebee! Bye, Parker… love mummy!"

"Bye mummy," young Parker cried out with tears as the video finally stopped playing. She looked like her father then. She ignored her tears the exact same way Nate always did. She was the perfect combination of both of her parents. She was perfect.

"Parker," Parker asked, "where did mummy put the DVD?"

Little Parker sniffled like Nate and turned her head towards her aunt. The devilish smile that appeared on her face was Sophie. The glint dancing in her eyes was brand new. It was both.

Nate and Tara walked into the kitchen very carefully. They both faced each other and went to opposite sides of the room. The grifter went towards the stove and the mastermind went towards the cupboards. They both turned around at the same time and waited. Then they turned around to face each other. Neither one of them was going to make the first move.

"The plates are in the cupboard to your right," Tara ordered.

The mastermind nodded and immediately set to work at getting them out. The grifter sighed in relief at their little truce and began to move towards the refrigerator. Nate watched as she carefully opened the door to the perishables. He quickly opened the drawer closest to him and discovered nothing but spoons.

"A spoon drawer?" Nate asked. He was hiding his annoyance at the lack of weapon flawlessly.

"We like to use spoons," Tara shrugged. She eyed him warily and started pouring tomato sauce into a pan. "Do you like spaghetti?"

"You know I hate spaghetti," Nate remarked. The grifter nodded and then started cooking the pasta with a flourish. The spiteful grin on her face was hard to miss.

"Forks are in the drawer beside the spoons," she said, "I'm pretty certain you can find the knives from there."

Nate obeyed the command and quickly gathered the necessary utensils. He looked around and tried to guess for the next thing on their list. The only knives available for use were dull butter knives. They were just a little too tempting for the moment. He needed something to help him swallow the thick glob in his throat.

"Glasses are in the cupboard right beside the sink," she said. She didn't even look up from the dish she was making. She was more than acutely aware of the fact that the cupboard she indicated was within swinging distance of her. Nate knew because her fingers were twitching. She was trusting his love for his daughter to keep him at bay. Oh what a glorious mistake that would be. She would learn the consequences later. Now, he had to lull her into a false sense of security.

He opened the door and pulled out the amount of glass they needed. He was careful to set them down near the other necessary eating tools. He made a show of keeping his back to her and moving the tools around. He was buying time. He needed to calm down before he implemented his plan. There was so much he needed to know before he killed her. There was so much he needed to do.

"Why did you do it, Tara?" Nate demanded softly, "Why did you kill her?"

"Money," Tara stated simply, "and that little girl in the other room!"

Nate turned towards the traitor with venom running through his veins. He had to physically stop himself from strangling her right then and there. "What's the real reason?" He asked.

Tara turned towards him in response and smirked. There was a glimmer of something in her eyes now. It didn't fit with their conversation at all. "Jealousy," she said, "and money… mainly love!"

"You don't love Moreau," Nate noticed with a frown.

"The man I had my eyes on has blue eyes of his own," Tara explained with a pointed look up and down his figure.

"If you loved me," Nate growled. He moved into her personal space immediately and felt the fury in his bones, "You would have given me my child long ago! You wouldn't have killed Sophie."

"I've done worse things for better reasons," Tara purred. She moved her head right up against his ear and whispered, "Soph, just owed me something she wasn't willing to give easily. So I let her die."

Nate pushed her up against the counter in disgust. He lifted his hands into the air with ever intent of killing her. His anger was too much. His grief was too much. He needed to kill her. He wanted to kill her. He wanted to feel her insignificant little heart beat fade away by his hands.

"Is stealing your daughter really worth killing me over?" Tara demanded of the mastermind slyly. She knew exactly what he wanted to do to her. She was still a good grifter after all.

Nate's hands faltered at that. They fell to the woman's shoulders and shook her roughly. He felt the sting of tears and ignored them. She hurt him and betrayed the only two people in the world who trusted her completely. Even Parker trusted her to be on their side. She hurt them and she thought she had the upper hand. He was not going to let her have the upper hand.

"Nothing to say?" She asked, "Pity. I was hoping for a good fi…"

Nate kissed her. Tara gasped at the contact and completely got lost in it. He could feel her get lost in it. She was so lost she didn't even feel him move his hand in and out of his pocket. He pulled away just as the barrel of the gun was at her temple. The blonde grifter glared at his play.

"Would you have done that if our positions were reversed?" she demanded irritably. The mastermind didn't have to ask what she meant by that. It was kind of obvious who.

"Sophie wouldn't have kidnapped my child," Nate's voice was a cold growl. He kept both of his eyes staring into the evil woman's and tried not to come to bait like she wanted. "She would have just let me be happy."

"How can you be so sure?" Tara rolled her eyes at his answer. She kept her hands where he could see them but she was still pissed. Like she had a reason to be angry.

"She never hurt my son," he said. He knew his reply was a good one. That's why he smiled. He knew he just won with that single line. Everything would be different if it had been in the reverse. Sophie and Eliot would still be alive.

"Your son's dead." The grifter said it with a very firm and straight face. She said it like the fact that it was, ignoring the pain she could cause with it. She wasn't going to be an easy target to take out. "Sophie's dead too."

"Don't forget Eliot," Nate ordered quietly.

He didn't know why he brought it up. There was something inside of him urging him to remind her of it. The grifter's face darkened considerably so it must have been the winner. She looked like she could care less about the gun to her head now. She looked murderous at the play.

"He killed himself," she said.

Nate furrowed his brow in confusion. He wasn't expecting that much emotion from a simple name dropping into the air. There was once again something missing. "Why do you care?"

Tara raised her right eyebrow in defiance of his question. Her jaw tightened and her lips pressed into a firm line. Her eyes suddenly brightened painfully and there were traces of wet in them. She narrowed those confusing eyes and allowed her anger through. She shook her head and glared him down. She was not going to give him what he wanted.

"Tara!" Nate felt the familiar rage at her name clawing its way through his spine. He stepped forward and used his free hand to pin her to the counter. He applied pressure and did everything to keep his anger in check. He needed to think of his daughter. Everything else could wait until she was safely in his arms where she belonged. "You killed Sophie! You stole our child! Why does it matter that you killed Eliot too?"

"I didn't kill him!" Tara's reply was fast and strained. It was psychotic and wounded. It was full of pain and rage at the very idea. The other grifter just unleashed a weakness she did not mean to let go of. "It was for you! It was because I was jealous she got you…"

"It was because he was coming after you." Nate stared at the grifter in shock. All this time, he thought she betrayed them. All this time, she let him think it was because she was evil. All this time, Eliot didn't have to die! They could have prevented this.

"He was going to go after Eliot," Tara whimpered. It was soft and it was weak but it was still audible. It held tears and suffering. It held despair, grief and loss. And she had been all alone.

"Why did you save my daughter?" Nate's throat was very dry all of a sudden. He needed a drink. Scotch, Bourbon, Vodka, Water; he didn't care. He just needed a drink.

"Because she was Sophie's daughter," Tara bit back. The look of disgust on her face at the suggestion almost made the mastermind laugh in relief, almost. Nate lowered the gun in his hand and stepped back a few inches. He needed room to read his opponent. Years of reading the greatest grifter of their generation made him the best at this. He would know if the grifter before him was lying.

"Soph was my friend too, alright," Tara growled. Her eyes were cold and her face was scrunched in anger. Nate just thought she looked tired; so, so tired. It was something he could identify with.

"I didn't want her to die but I didn't have a choice," she said.

"He was your mark." It was the only conclusion he had. Honestly, it was the only conclusion his mind would give him. He wanted to believe she didn't betray his Sophie. He wanted to believe that the only person his grifter trusted besides their team actually did love her enough to protect her. That was the problem though. He wanted to believe. He needed to be sure; for the sake of his daughter.

"Sophie didn't know," Tara nodded at the statement. Guilt was starting to flash across her features. It didn't look calculated. It looked real. "Well, she figured me out but she didn't reveal it. At least… I hope she figured me out. I had to take the kid…"

"You were protecting the team." Nate's brain hit the conclusion and his heart skipped a beat at the news. It was good news. It was the right news. It had to be.

"I was protecting Eliot," Tara snapped towards the mastermind icily. It didn't matter that her plan failed. She protected her friend's baby. Keeping Moreau off of their back through this sick twist of fate ensured the idea that revenge would be on its way. Her failure of protecting the hitter only forced her to protect the kid more. It was an insane plan. It even made sense.

"Why didn't he kill you?" It was the only question left. If Moreau knew she couldn't be trusted, why keep her? What value would she have that he couldn't get?

"I'm dead, remember?" Tara answered him in astonishment. She looked completely surprised that he didn't even think of the possibility. There was no disappointment though. She clearly knew more about his situation than she was letting on. It made sense that she would tease them and dare Hardison to come after her. She was trying to get caught.

"He's going to kill you now," Nate knew it was true. She knew it was true. It was a truth that needed to be announced though. They needed to be aware of the next move.

"Eliot's dead," she said. It was the only answer he needed. There was only one thing left to make sure of.

"Who gets dibs on Moreau?"

Alec Hardison glared daggers at the man sitting across from him. Damien Moreau just smiled back and seemed to be taking their lack of a conversation pleasantly. His evil was practically filling the room with its stench. He needed to be stopped at all costs. He destroyed their team, their family. He killed two of the best people Alec had ever known. He nearly polished off the man who had brought them together. Parker had to go away because of what that grifter in the kitchen did to them.

Hardison tapped his foot against the coffee table to remind himself of his job. There was a little girl that needed to go home with them. They just had to let Moreau think he had all the cards before they went into action. He had to wait.

"So," Moreau filled the silence with his unwelcomed breath immediately, "How have you been, Hardison?"

"Just peachy," he replied, "and it's Mr. Hardison to you. Just so we're clear and all."

"Of course," Moreau nodded in amusement, "Enemies must always know their place in the way of things."

Hardison just rolled his eyes and looked towards the bedroom. His Parkers hadn't come back yet. That was worrying.

"A word of advice," Moreau sputtered in a calm and commanding voice, "Never look away from your prey."

Then the crime boss moved his hand towards his right hand pocket.

Hardison pounced. He immediately slipped his gun out of the holster at his back and caught Moreau by the throat. The former hacker turned brilliant mastermind placed his gun directly in his enemy's mouth.

"Go ahead," Hardison demanded in a very calm voice, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't pop you one right now."

Moreau said nothing. He just stared up at the new mastermind with wide eyes. He even looked a bit surprised by the play.

"Oh that's right," Hardison mocked his enemy with everything he had, "You can't speak. You've got a gun in your mouth."

The former hacker chuckled at his own little joke then forced the weapon closer. Moreau's tongue had to have tasted the clip. His tonsils were definitely going to taste the bullet.

"You know," Hardison continued, "This is quite the poetic justice if you think about. After all, you're the reason Eliot didn't like guns."

Moreau just stared at him. The man didn't care a bit about a gun being in his mouth. Oh well, Hardison was on a roll.

"You made him hurt people with one of these," Hardison said as he gestured towards the gun, "You turned him into a killer and made him hate himself. You made him hurt innocent children, a crime he despised the most. Then he broke it off with you because he was the better man. He went as far away from you as possible and did everything he could to never be that again. You made him think he was a monster."

Moreau just chuckled and Hardison nudged the gun further in. The villain gagged and the former hacker smiled. His point was made.

"Then he met us and became a hero again," Hardison growled into his enemy's ear, "And we helped him get rid of you."

The hacker swallowed at the emotions tugging at his heart. The memories of the days that led to tragedy were right there in the back of his mind. He could feel tears stinging at his eyes. Moreau just sat there and stared at him.

"Then you took our grifter," Hardison continued, "and you tortured her. You hurt her. You took her kid and then you murdered her. You broke our family and made him feel guilty for it. You played us good and he felt the guilt of it on his shoulders for a whole year without telling any of us about it. You made that man hate himself so much that he picked up a gun. He used the very weapon you made him despise most and then he put it in his mouth very much like I am putting my gun in your mouth right now."

Hardison stared Moreau directly in the eyes and delivered his final thought. "Then he fired that gun into his head and ended his misery. And it was all because of you."

Hardison stood tall as he used both hands to hold his gun. He squared up his shoulders and moved his feet to stand with his shoulders. He cracked his neck a few times and stared his enemy down.

"Now you give me one reason not to shoot you in the head for my fallen brother in arms," he said.

Moreau just chuckled lightly and raised his hand. He pointed his trigger finger towards the back of the house. There was no doubt where he was pointing. He obviously meant their baby Parker.

"Point taken," Hardison admitted with a grin, "but that's assuming I'm still the same person I was the last time we met. I'm gonna give you a little hint; I'm not. You made sure of that when you killed my friends."

Moreau's eyebrows raised in invitation. He actually wanted to see if it was going to happen. He wanted to see the chances of this playing out. The sick psycho actually wanted this.

"However," Hardison nodded at the play. He removed the man's gun from its hiding spot and then withdrew his own. "I'm not you," he said, "and I won't do that in front of Nate's daughter."

"How honorable," Moreau laughed at the gesture. He politely touched his throat and cleared it to make certain it still worked.

"Honor has nothing to do with it," Hardison growled towards the beast, "This is a matter of family. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Moreau's eyebrows rose in surprise of the gesture. "Good move," he said.

"Thank you," Hardison replied.

The former hacker returned to his previous spot on the couch, but he kept his gun visible. Moreau took note of the fact and sat back. The two enemies returned to silence.


	15. Bittersweet Ending to the New Beginning

**A/N:** _I really like how this ended. One more chapter after this in case I don't post it tonight like planned. Sorry for all of the mistakes but I'm too lazy to actually go through and correct them right now. I'll regret it later, I promise you._

"What took you so long to get their attention?" Nate asked. He was playing with his gun and thinking, the usual crazy behavior.

"What am I gonna do come out and say hey Eliot I've just been reinstated with the United States government to take out Moreau and since I'm sleeping with the both of you I figured you should know that he's planning a way to ruin Nate big time?" Tara glared at the mastermind with angry eyes. "Yeah, that's a conversation I'm allowed to have when we're not even in the same country half the time."

"You could have sent us a warning," Nate growled. He was setting the table as carefully as possible. The plan had to go smoothly.

"I did," Tara hissed towards him with extra venom, "How do you think I got compromised?"

Nate slammed into her and pushed against the counter roughly. His eyes blazed with crazy grief at the possibilities.

"Are you really?" He asked.

"They told me to play along," Tara stuttered out. Her voice was shaky and her eyes glimmered with hopelessness and loss.

"The U.S. government ordered Sophie dead?" Nate arched an eyebrow at that.

"No," Tara shook her head, "the U.N."

"Do you really expect me to believe that garbage?"

Tara rolled her eyes at the mastermind's remark. She huffed in anger and tried to focus on something that wasn't him. Nate did his best to control his anger. It didn't work. He wrapped his arms around the other grifter's throat and squeezed a bit just for fun.

"You really shouldn't play with a psychopath, Tara," Nate admitted as he slowly tightened his hold on the grifter's little neck.

"You don't want to hear it," Tara said. She didn't even care that he was squeezing her oxygen away.

"Tell me why I had to lose her," Nate said back. He loosened his grip just a bit to make his point very clear.

"I'll give you three guesses but you're only going to need one," Tara replied. Her lips were turning blue but she kept her steady glare right on him the whole time.

"I'm sick of filling in the blanks, Tara," Nate hissed into her face, "I've been without my little girl for six years. Her mother had to send me a video to inform me of her existence. I didn't get that video until a couple days ago. Tell me what I want to know or you go down with him as Eliot's killer."

Tara swallowed at that. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise and the mastermind knew he had her right where he wanted her. Her blue-grey eyes rolled in annoyance and she breathed out shallowly.

"C.I.A." she said.

Nate stared at her in shock. His grip went slack and he swore the air escaped his lungs. That was impossible. Nobody in the C.I.A. would need to do that. Why would they do that?

"You're lying," he coughed out.

Tara shook her head. She was still standing exactly where Nate cornered her. She didn't seem to want to move. "They reinstated me because they thought Eliot was too much of a threat. I convinced them he wasn't and my prize was to go after Moreau. They were more than aware that he escaped prison in San Lorenzo because they were the ones who hired him to do it. You do the math."

"No, you," Nate growled towards her. He spent his life working with cons. He wasn't stupid enough to let himself believe her completely. He doubted he ever would.

"Moreau got loose and they hired me to reel him in," Tara grouched towards him in defeat, "Sophie was just collateral."

"They want my daughter too," Nate nodded at the play.

"Apparently you guys made a very good impression," Tara snarled, "I'm not exactly saying our government is awful or anything but sometimes it ain't peachy. Eliot wasn't supposed to die and they were supposed to make certain of it."

"Why'd you stay? Why did you wait six years to contact us?"

"The little girl in the other room who is probably following the orders her mother left her on her secret and well-hidden video!" Tara snapped.

Nate stared at her blankly. "What?"

%

Parker was digging around through the wall directly under the bed with very little success. Every little piece of her body was protesting at the harsh treatment. Apparently six years of doing only the minimum of exercises was taking its toll. She wasn't nearly as flexible as she once was.

"Do you want me to get it?" Little Parker asked gently. She was sitting on the bed almost directly above the woman she was named after. The little thing didn't even make a dent in the mattress she was so light. Big Parker had to constantly remind herself she was even there. It didn't help that the little girl's tone sounded exactly like Sophie's when she was baiting Nate into doing something for her.

The former thief huffed at the thought and carefully climbed out from under the bed. She did what was probably her thirtieth sweep of the area and turned towards her charge. She rolled her eyes at Nate's amused smirk in miniature and nodded her head.

"Fine but be quick about it," she said, "I don't want to get in trouble for losing you in the wall.

Little Parker just rolled her eyes exactly like Sophie and clambered off the bed in perfect silence. Yep, she was going to be the greatest thief in history when she was older. The tiny child immediately crawled under her bed and squeezed herself carefully into the wall. There was some grunting and an oath children that age were not supposed to know and then some scuffling. Tiny princess shoes suddenly appeared back out of the wall attached to a pair of chubby little legs and a tiny butt. Then the owner of the tiny body parts was fully out with a briefcase in her tiny clutches. Unfortunately all Big Parker could think about was just how tiny the little girl was. Then she took note of the briefcase.

The former thief quickly snatched it away and stared at the solid "S" on the inside clasp. Her eyes grew wide with recognition and her heart almost stopped completely. She knew that briefcase well. It was Sophie's.

"This… uh…" Parker swallowed at the sudden lump caught in her throat, "This belonged to your mother."

"It comes with pictures," the mini-grifter nodded in reply. There was excitement glowing in her eyes and a tiny grin of mischief on her lips. The little girl was already too much like her parents and didn't even know them. Wait!

Parker quickly opened up the briefcase and dipped her hand right on in. There were files in manila envelopes with the grifter's beautiful scrawl written on them. There were seven files in total and each contained a name.

Parker dropped the briefcase on the ground and immediately started rifling through the files. She felt her namesake scoot closer but ignored her. They were all in there. Hardison, Eliot, Nate, herself, even Sophie's file was in that briefcase. They were old of course, but they were there. Even Tara and Moreau's files were there. Why were their files in that briefcase? Why did Sophie have them? How did she get them?

"It's in her letter," little Parker pointed to the forgotten piece of white and blue notebook paper. She even lifted it into the air and waved it around. Sophie's elegant hand-writing was glowing off of its pages.

Big Parker snatched the note away and stared at her namesake in awe. "How do you know?"

Little Parker shrugged like Sophie and grinned evilly like Nate. "I'm almost six. I can read!"

The former thief just nodded at the statement and stared at the note. She took a deep and careful breath and began to read.

_Dear Parker and/or Hardison,_

_Yes, I know I really shouldn't have stolen your files and copied them, but it was for emergency purposes! I was afraid that something would happen to make us split up again so I decided to copy your files as a nice reminder of the team we once were. You both know how hopeless I am with a computer. I was amazed I even figured out the copier. Before you ask, I don't usually carry around your files. I just happened to have them on me when they took me. Okay so they were kind enough to stop off at my place so I could quickly grab my files and the pregnancy pills to stop nausea. Okay, so I lied and said I was going to be sick and they were dumb enough to let me go because Moreau hired these ridiculously awful goons. Eliot would have been insulted they were so bad. So I quickly gather up the files and my briefcase as a precaution in case my plan failed. Obviously it failed because I'm not with you. I'm sorry for that by the way. They had no qualms about hitting a pregnant woman while she was trying to make her escape. Moreau was surprisingly very upset about that. He even had them executed because they jeopardized his plans of the ultimate revenge. Tara nearly broke character. At least I think Tara is on our side. I'm not really sure. These hormones and the whole situation are making it very hard to read even the simplest of emotions. This was written after the video of course. I hope you got it. Nate needs the closure. Look, each file has a brief description of who you were to me and who you are to my baby. I know it's a stupid plan to rely on a baby finding these and actually keeping it secret so I put it a little more out of her reach in hopes that her curiosity will get her sooner or later. If she's anything like Nate she'll be reading before she even starts school. If she's anything like me she'll keep me secret from them. I was never very good to my parents when I was little. Help my baby go home to her daddy. Please, my darling friends. Save her from Moreau._

_Love,_

_Your favorite and most talented grifter_

_Sophie ;) _

_P.S. Don't even ask how I got Moreau's file! You do not want to know!_

Parker blinked at the fact that her best friend could read her thoughts so well. She just shrugged at the order and turned her head to the baby. Little Parker reached towards the note with careful and loving eyes trained on the slanted words. The former thief handed over to her namesake and patted her on the head.

"We're going home now," Parker informed her charge.

%

Hardison stared at the man he hated most in the world and fiddled around with the gun. He wasn't sure what was supposed to happen. Nate and It hadn't exactly left the kitchen yet. Parker and Parker were still in the bedroom causing a disturbing lack of sound. His enemy was right in front of him waiting for the next move. There was nothing to do quite yet. And then there was.

The two Parkers entered the room with suitcases in their hands. Little Parker even had a stuffed bear that was practically as big as her. It was purple and had two lollipops with hearts on its stomach. Thankfully the mini-grifter seemed to be in love with the Care bears. Big Parker was also carrying a scarily familiar black briefcase in her hands and a scowl on her tear streaked face.

Nate and It entered from the kitchen easily enough. The former mastermind had his gun pointed towards the grifter. It just rolled her eyes and held up her hands in surrender. She took note of the packed bags and couldn't help but smile at the image.

"Why are you smiling?" Hardison demanded of the evil grifter in disdain. She killed his grifter and his best friend. She should not be happy about the fact that their mini-grifter was going home. Her eyes were even sparkling with amusement.

"She's on our side, Hardison," Nate responded smoothly. He pointed his gun towards the couch opposite Moreau and nodded his head in that direction.

The grifter took the hint and sat close to the former hacker, on the other side of his couch.

"What's with the packed bags, Princess?" Moreau demanded of the mini-grifter with a cocky smile. He thought he was still winning.

"I'm going to live with Daddy now," Little Parker explained to the bad guy, smiling Sophie's smile all the way.

"But I'm right here," Moreau frowned at the answer. He was smart but he wasn't getting it. That was funny.

"Oh," the mini-grifter nodded at the statement, "I meant my real Daddy."

"I am your real daddy?" Moreau's eyes narrowed at the child's thoughts.

"But he has my eyes," mini-grifter stared at the man who was taking care of her in confusion, "And you and mummy didn't have my eyes!"

"I'm your daddy, Parker," Nate admitted as he kept both eyes trained on the man who threatened to take his entire world away.

"No, I'm her father," Moreau stressed with worry actually slipping into his voice this time.

"How about we stop this little argument before I throw up?" Tara proposed in disdain. She crossed her legs at the knees and smiled demurely towards Moreau.

"So Tara's the good guy?" Parker questioned of the old mastermind in confusion.

"Tara's on your side," Tara explained with a nod. She seemed happy that her name was spoken by the former thief. She didn't even seem to care about the deadly glare aimed her way.

"So why did you help kill Sophie and Eliot?" Hardison demanded of the grifter in confusion. He wasn't very quick to forgive. That was a result of the thing that happened to make him figure out who betrayed them and all. He didn't like to think about it too much.

"Can this wait?" Moreau asked in complete and utter disbelief of what was happening around him. He even looked a bit scared, sweet. "My daughter is under the impression that she belongs to someone else!"

"What did the White Knight turn into?" Little Parker questioned immediately.

"What?" Moreau demanded.

Hardison was just as curious. He just knew how to hide it better. Plus, Parker and Tara were smiling at mini-grifter's question. Nate's eyes actually had a glint of pride. Obviously it was very important.

"Mummy said my real daddy would know the answer to that question," Little Parker explained with no signs of sympathy or fear at the concept in front of her, "So answer the question, Mr. Moreau!"

"Ha!" Nate smiled at his daughter's clever statement. His gun even wiggled a bit as he spoke. "You heard her. Answer the question."

"The White Knight turned King," Moreau stated sharply.

"What does that mean?" mini-grifter scrunched her face at the man's reply.

"The White Knight became the White King," Moreau sharply replied as he glared at the man who seemed to be ruining his plans completely.

"Actually," Nate smiled brightly before his daughter even had a chance to say anything more, "The White Knight is now the Black King."

"That's right!" Little Parker smiled at the news as she raced her way towards her father immediately, "It's nice to meet you, Daddy! I'm your daughter, Parker! Mummy wishes she could be here but she's in Heaven with the angels!"

"Come here," Nate ordered as he picked his daughter up and held her close to his chest, "I'm taking my daughter, Moreau. Don't follow."

"I won't let you get away with this," Moreau reported as he started to rise to his feet.

"Wow, that's not a cliché," Tara rolled her eyes at the statement.

"Definitely a Scooby-doo moment," Hardison nodded in agreement.

"Wait," the mini-grifter ordered her father immediately, "We need to get mummy's videos. That way we both can see mummy!"

"You'll be dead before you even make it to the door," Moreau retorted as he slowly raised his weapon towards the mastermind and his child with a sick grin on his face.

"Actually," Parker stated with an evil smirk, "No, we're not."

As if by magic, or coincidence, the front door flew open. Ashley's flaming red hair appeared through the door with a wide smile on her face. Craig followed her with a matching grin. The pair looked incredibly too enthusiastic to believe.

"We're here!" Ashley waved towards them. Then she pointed towards the hallway in question. "Her bedroom is this way, right?"

"To your left," Hardison nodded at his team.

"Just the videos and stuffed animals," Nate called after them. The hitter and thief were already disappearing as he spoke. "I'm buying her a new wardrobe and bedding. I don't want any of Moreau's crap in my house!"

"That's funny," Little Parker laughed at her father's statement. "Is Auntie Parker taking me home?"

"You're coming with me, bumblebee," Nate explained to the little girl as he held her close, happy tears falling down his cheeks, "Point the way!"

"Mummy called me bumblebee too," Little Parker squealed in delight, "This proves you're my daddy. Take me that way, Daddy!"

The mini-grifter pointed towards the door with a beaming smile.

"Wow," Parker laughed at the little girl's order, "She's just like Sophie!"

"Yep," Nate nodded as he followed his daughter's directions, "Has me completely wrapped around her finger."

Moreau finally stood to his feet with a scowl on his face. He looked at them all in complete confusion. "Do you really think you're going to get away with this, Ford? I can have you arrested for kidnapping the moment you step out that door. You know how easy it is to fake a DNA test."

"Sit down," Hardison growled towards the madman, rising to his feet as well, "Before I shoot your ass… uh, buns just for the fun of it."

"You wouldn't shoot me in front of the girl," Moreau countered simply.

Alec just rolled his eyes and turned his gaze questioningly towards his mentor. Mini-grifter's eyes were blown wide in shock and fear of what was going to happen next. Nate took a moment to mull the idea over and then shook his head.

"The cops are on their way," Nate sighed. His tone sounded disappointed and he even set his daughter down to think some more. "I'd rather just get out of here."

"Okay," Tara nodded at the statement. She held out her hand towards the former hacker expectantly. "Give me your gun, Hardison."

Alec looked towards his mentor again questioningly. The hitter and thief appeared in the room with their supplies in hand. Parker's gaze followed the former hacker's and the mini-grifter stared up. Everybody was waiting on Nate's call. His bright blue eyes, the same eyes his daughter inherited, connected with Alec's and he nodded. Hardison did as told and handed Tara the gun. Tara took it and pointed it towards Moreau. She looked positively gleeful at the fact that she was pointing a gun at Damien Moreau. Yeah, she was definitely on their side.

"I'm getting my van," Hardison announced excitedly. The tension was a bit too much for him. He needed to jet. He signaled towards his team and they nodded. He raced out of the door and didn't even look back. He didn't have to. He knew his students were following him.

Tara looked towards the former thief while keeping an eye on Moreau. It was disconcerting. "The van," she asked.

"He's not naming them Lucille anymore?" Nate questioned as he kept his daughter within reaching distance.

"Nope," Parker nodded at the assessment, "He wants your blessing to name it Sophie the second."

"Sophie the second?" Nate asked in confusion.

"Are you really having this conversation in my living room?" Moreau demanded. He seemed agitated at the banter happening around him. It was probably because they weren't following his bad guy mantra of get out and never look back.

"Just shut up," Tara hissed. Obviously she was enjoying this.

"Well Parker's already taken," Parker explained with a shrug, "Twice!"

"It's a nice name," Nate observed with a smiled at that fact.

"You guys better go," Tara nodded towards the door expectantly, "They'll be here any minute."

Nate nodded his head and motioned for the former thief to do as ordered. She did but only after a long series of warning glares towards the other grifter. Apparently she didn't fully trust her after all. She left with another warning scowl and a quick kiss on the top of Little Parker's head. The mini-grifter grinned and stared at the people who raised her in question. Then she looked up at her father to see what was going to happen next.

"You want her to watch as you do it?" Tara raised an eyebrow at the former mastermind's plan. Clearly she didn't like it.

"No," Nate shook his head, "I want you to do it. Prove to me that you're on my side, Sophie's side. Prove to me that you didn't kill Eliot."

The grifter shrugged and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She pulled the trigger a few more times and then proceeded to chuck it across the room in dismay. The fire in her glaring eyes as she turned towards the former mastermind was terrifying. Little Parker actually grabbed her father's leg in fear.

"An air gun?" Tara demanded in dismay, "You and Hardison came in here with air guns?"

"We don't like guns," Nate replied as he scooped his daughter into his arms and made his exit. He quickly closed the door and smile at the male scream from behind it. His hitter's girlfriend was on their side. She would be getting out of prison very soon. He would make sure of it. It would just be a while though. She did deserve to pay for listening to orders and all. Then the former mastermind took note of the bodies on the ground.

Everywhere in the yard, no matter which way you turned, there were men in the regular dark black suits. Some of the men were hanging out in the bushes. Some of the men were in the fence. Some of the men were just passed out wherever they fell on the ground. Hell, there was even a guy on the roof. Men everywhere were knocked out cold and looked like they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Ashley did good work. That was probably why she and Craig were so happy. At least his daughter wasn't noticing them. Her eyes were firmly planted on him. That was good. That was very good.

"What's going to happen now, Daddy?" Parker demanded of her father with wide blue eyes.

Nate smiled at his daughter's pout. It was exactly like Sophie's and made his heart soar at the news. She was perfect and in his arms. He was never going to leave her again. He kind of felt bad for all of her future boyfriends. They were going to have one hell of a time trying to date her. Of course, if she was anything like her mother she would find ways around that.

So he just let the chuckle escape his lips, smoothed back some of his daughter's wonderful hair, and spoke the truth.

"We're going home."

%

The F.B.I. were stunned to dismay when they found the beaten and battered body of Damien Moreau only moments after Agent Hagen had called. Naturally, agents McSweeten and Taggert were the ones to bust him. They smiled wide at their capture and even celebrated the tiny victory.

"Damien Moreau," McSweeten yelped happily, "We've been trying to nail him for six years. Who would have thought that it would be Agent Hagen's protégé that would help us out, man?"

"I thought he was Agent Thomas'?" Taggert grimaced in confusion.

"Which one?" Damien, disguised as an F.B.I. agent of course, demanded of the pair.

McSweeten gulped in dismay. "What do you mean which one?" He asked.

"Well," Damien smiled viciously, "There's Mr. Agent Thomas and then there's Mrs. Agent Thomas. Which one are you referring to? The blonde one or the black one?"

McSweeten frowned and folded in on himself in mortification. Taggert kindly patted him on the back in sad understanding.

"The blonde one," Taggert explained. Then McSweeten burst into tears and began crying on his friends shoulder. Taggert just rolled his eyes and continued to comfort his friend.

Damien took that as his cue to leave. He made like a tree abruptly.

"I didn't even get an invitation to the wedding," McSweeten mumbled into Taggert's shirt. Taggert just rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Maybe it was lost in the mail," he said.


	16. Epilogue: Home Sweet Victory

Nate walked down the stairs of his Boston apartment with relief on his shoulders and a smile on his lips. He couldn't really help the grin on his face. His daughter was kicking her legs back and forth at the kitchen counter. Her little head was bobbing side to side as she animatedly ate her pancakes, double chocolate chip pancakes complete with chocolate whipped cream and extra chocolate chips. His smile turned upside down at that. The culprit responsible for giving his kid that much sugar was cleaning up his mess at the stove and joining her. He carefully walked to the fridge, opened its doors, and pulled out a highly familiar bottle of orange soda. He took out a glass and carefully poured a generous amount into it. Then Alec carried the vial orange soft drink towards his daughter. He was going to kill Hardison.

"My daughter is not going to be drinking orange soda," Nate said.

He quickly swooped in in the nick of time. He removed the extra sugar from his child's grasp and placed it back in the fridge with a quick sigh of relief. Then he turned around and glared at his pupil.

Alec just shrugged at his suggestion, rolled his eyes and turned towards his niece conspiratorially. "We'll get you some orange soda later," he said. Then he patted his niece on the top of the head and gave her shoulders a quick squeeze before he reached for the… Oh God he was adding chocolate syrup. "Don't you fret about that, mini-grifter."

"Mini-grifter?" Nate questioned in confusion. He decided to ignore the heap of sugar going into his child's mouth. Uncle Hardison was going to be taking care of her today.

"Because she looks exactly like Sophie," Alec responded with a shrug. Then he proceeded to sneak his young impressionable niece a few sips of orange soda without even checking if his mentor was looking. "I figured she's earned a cool nickname and it feels wrong to call her mini-Sophie," he continued, "So, mini-grifter it is. Right, mini-grifter?"

"Right," Parker nodded. Nate could tell she was already getting sugar high. If she was anything like the woman she was named after with chocolate and sugar, they were screwed.

"Bumblebee," Nate directed his attention to his little girl with a smile on his face despite himself, "What's your middle name?"

"Elaine," Parker answered immediately and loudly. Yep, the sugar had taken effect. "How did Mummy tell you she loved you?" She asked.

"She told me her name," Nate smiled at his daughter's question, "I mean her real name by the way. I'll explain it when you're older, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Parker nodded at her father's answer with a devilish grin. Her fingers were twitching just as badly as her uncle's. Today was going to be a long day.

"So how did you know who we were?" Hardison demanded of the six year old with a small smile on his lips.

"Mummy gave me a video," Mini-grifter stated with a wide grin, "She told me all about you! And she even gave me pictures in her big purse thingy with your files. Where's Uncle Eliot?"

"He's in Heaven with your mummy, sweetie," Nate explained as he gave his daughter a glass of milk and a kiss on the top of the head, "How are you today, Hardison?"

"Who's Hardison?" Damien demanded as he walked into the apartment as if he had been doing it for years.

"It's Alec's last name, dumbass!" Ashley growled at the young hacker. She entered with Craig just as casually as their hacker.

"Language, babe," Craig advised as he noticed the child in the room, "Virgin ears don't need to hear that!"

"Sorry," Ashley apologized to the six year old and her father with a nervous smile. She even gave them a salute, "Didn't realize you two were here, Mr. Ford, sir!"

"Mr. Ford sir?" Nate questioned the new mastermind with a raised brow.

"Apparently they think you deserve respect," Parker snorted at the very idea as she politely patted him on the shoulder before she joined the others at the conference table in front of the good old monitors from before.

"When did she get here?" Little Parker questioned in awe. She was swiveling her little head around and around in search of any signs that her favorite aunt had been in the room with them the whole time.

"Alec?" Nate demanded of his greatest pupil immediately.

"I learned from the best," Hardison explained with a polite shrug, "Plus, it would have felt wrong to be the mastermind going by my last name."

"I understand," Nate nodded as he watched the team of thieves making themselves comfortable, "I see I still lose my apartment to a team of thieves even when I'm retired!"

"You're retired?" Mini-grifter demanded of her father with wide eyes, "Who's going to teach me how to catch the bad guys?"

"Hey," Parker smiled at her namesake's worry, "Don't worry, mini-grifter! That's what Aunt and Uncle Hardison are here for! Plus, your daddy still has a team of bad guy catchers he needs to advise every once in a while!"

"Aunt and Uncle Hardison?" Nate smiled at the new grifter's statement immediately.

"I don't know," Hardison shrugged. He turned his attention on his grifter in search of an answer.

"For when we get married," Parker shrugged at the two masterminds in confusion, "duh!"

"I want to be the flower girl!" Little Parker announced as she clapped at the statement.

"Married?" Hardison demanded of the blonde thief with wide eyes.

"Married," Parker nodded. She quickly got her bowl of cereal with orange soda for the meeting. Then she went back to the sit in her favorite chair.

"Hey!" Hardison smiled happily. He carefully walked over to join his team for the briefing.

"Hardison," Nate growled at the former hacker to stop him in his tracks.

"Yes," Hardison demanded of his father figure with fearful eyes.

"Thanks," Nate acknowledged as he pointed to his daughter with a smile, "for everything."

"No," Hardison shook his head before he pointed to his girl and the team of thieves they led, "Thank you, Mr. Ford sir!"

"You're not calling me that!" Nate stated sharply for everybody to hear, "Nobody's calling me that! That stops now!"

"Why?" Little Parker's voice groaned the loudest out of everybody else on the team, "I like it when they call you Mr. Ford sir, daddy!"

"Really?" Nate asked his daughter with raised brows.

"Yeah," the mini-grifter smiled at her father's close scrutiny, "It's funny!"

The end.

**A/N:**_ Thanks to all of the readers who stuck by through the trying times of Eliot and Sophie's deaths. You guys totally rock and I really hope you enjoyed the ending as much as I did. I promise that my next story won't be so depressing. Tootles, peeps!_


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